T-CELL INVOLVEMENT IN GLOMERULAR INJURY

The mechanisms of glomerular injury are multiple: one aspect is cell-m ediated immunity in inflammatory kidney disease. Its fundamental role has been established within the last decade. T cells seem to play a re gulatory role in the course of inflammation not only in the proliferat ive and crescentic disease, but also in nonproliferative glomeruloneph ritis. T cells become increasingly important in the pathogenesis of bo th glomerular and interstitial kidney diseases and seem to determine c ourse and prognosis. The recent advances in understanding the mechanis ms of T cell-mediated inflammation in kidney disease offer new approac hes in therapy.