May 28, 2019 – Allergic Kidney Reactions

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Anchor lead: A common kidney disorder may soon be diagnosed with a blood test, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Acute interstitial nephritis is the medical term for what amounts to an allergic reaction in the kidneys, and it accounts for up to one in five hospitalizations for acute kidney injury. Now a new blood test developed by Chirag Parikh, a kidney expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, may make diagnosis easier.

Parikh: (chirag): We were focused on finding easier and simpler and noninvasive ways of making this diagnosis. We found two proteins in the urine that convey that there is some allergic reaction going on in the kidney, which then help the clinicians and the patient to guide them into the next step. Currently there is no simple way to pick up this disease, because one has to do a kidney biopsy to confirm the presence of this disorder.  :29

Parikh notes that biopsies can have their own complications and may take time to perform. He hopes that once validated, the new test can simplify the process of diagnosis. At Johns Hopkin, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.