Characterization of immune cells in kidneys from patients with Sjogren's syndrome.

The association of interstitial nephritis, the most common renal lesion in Sjogren's syndrome, to the other manifestations of the disease is unclear. To begin to address this issue, the infiltrating cells in frozen kidney tissues from two patients with interstitial nephritis secondary to Sjogren's syndrome were characterized by indirect immunofluorescence. T cells predominated, the majority of which were helper/inducer cells (OKT4+). Both kidneys contained nodules of B cells. The increased proportion of OKT4+ T cells in salivary gland and in interstitial renal lesions of Sjogren's syndrome contrasts with some other forms of interstitial renal disease and suggests that the renal and salivary gland lesions have a similar pathogenesis.