Acute interstitial nephritis in Singapore: a report of five cases.

Interstitial nephritis is an uncommon cause of acute renal failure. Reported incidence varies widely in the literature and may depend on several factors i.e. geographical location, diagnostic criteria, dietary, environmental factors and therapeutic practices. This is a retrospective study of biopsy proven interstitial nephritis in National University Hospital Singapore. We report five cases out of a total of 349 biopsies carried out during a five-year period between September 1997 and August 2002. Four patients presented acutely with fever and or cough. In four patients, there was exposure to traditional Chinese medications and/or drugs. Renal failure in four out of the five patients progressed rapidly, three of whom required dialysis. One patient was treated with steroids. Renal function recovered in all patients with one patient who had significant residual renal impairment after one month.