Chronic kidney disease is accompanied by interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, irrespective of the underlying cause. Disorders of the vasculature, glomeruli or urinary drainage culminate in chronic tubulo-interstitial injury, the severity of which is the histological feature that correlates best with progression to end-stage renal disease. However, there are diverse conditions in which the tubulo-interstitium is the primary site of pathology. These can be considered together without inferring a common aetiology or pathogenesis.