Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis with a T Cell-dominant Profile of Infiltrating Cells and Granulomas in Both Organs

A 46-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for an evaluation of progressive renal insufficiency and elevated liver enzymes. A renal biopsy revealed chronic granulomatous interstitial nephritis. Her laboratory findings indicated primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), which was confirmed with a liver biopsy. CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells with granuloma formation were the predominant cells infiltrating into the interstitium of the kidneys and liver. The etiology of tubulointerstitial nephritis in the present patient was not clear; however, it might have shared the same pathogenesis as PBC due to the relatively close onset, the similar profiles of infiltrating cells and the presence of granulomas.