Karyomegalic interstitial nephritis: further support for a distinct entity and evidence for a genetic defect

Abstract

Karyomegalic interstitial nephritis was first described in 1979 by Mihatsch, who was reporting three such cases. We report here four additional cases as well as two family investigations. Our findings support the association of karyomegaly and interstitial nephritis as a distinct entity. Typical clinical features are asymptomatic progressive renal failure in the third decade of life and recurrent infections, mostly of the upper respiratory tract. Histologic alterations consist of markedly enlarged and hyperchromic nuclei in many tubular epithelial cells throughout the nephron accompanied by interstitial fibrosis in the surrounding atrophic tubules. Karyomegaly is not limited to the kidneys. In one case, autopsy revealed karyomegaly in epithelial and mesenchymal cells of many other organs. However, no association of karyomegaly with further histologic damage is evident except in the kidneys. Because of the familial clustering, karyomegalic interstitial nephritis seems to be an inherited disease. Examination of the nuclear proliferation-associated structures proliferating cell nuclear antigen/cyclin, Ki 67, and p53 suggests an inhibition of mitosis in karyomegalic cells. The finding of the same HLA haplotype, A9/B35, in four of six HLA-typed cases suggests the possibility of a genetic defect on chromosome 6, which is inherited and linked to the HLA locus.