7/29/2019 How is IgA Nephropathy Treated

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/how-is-iga-nephropathy-treated 1/2

How is IgA nephropathy treated?

Kidney disease usually cannot be cured. When the kidneys are damaged, they cannot be

repaired. Treatment focuses on slowing the disease and preventing complications.

One complication is high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Hypertension damages thekidneys. Two types of blood pressure medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)

inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) protect kidney function. These

medicines not only lower blood pressure but also decrease the loss of protein into the urine.

Because of this effect, they are often used in IgA nephropathy to protect the kidneys. They

are good medicines but have certain side effects. Pregnant women should not take ACE

inhibitors or ARBs because they can damage the unborn baby.

People with IgA nephropathy may develop high cholesterol. By watching their diet and

taking medicine, they can help lower their cholesterol level. Lowering cholesterol may help

slow kidney damage.

Medicines such as prednisone may help treat IgA nephropathy. Prednisone belongs to a class

of medicines called corticosteroids, which can have harmful side effects. In research studies,

fish oil supplements containing omega 3 fatty acids also slowed kidney damage in some

 patients. Vitamin E may help lower protein in the urine but not blood. One of the newer 

immunosuppressive agents called mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is also being tested in

treating IgA nephropathy.

Hope through Research

In recent years, researchers have learned much about kidney disease. The National Instituteof Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) sponsors several programs aimed

at understanding kidney failure and finding treatments to stop its progression.

The NIDDK’s Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases (DKUHD) supports

 basic research into normal kidney function and the diseases that impair normal function at the

cellular and molecular levels, including diabetes, high blood pressure, glomerulonephritis,

and other diseases marked by protein in the urine.

Researchers sponsored by the DKUHD are studying families in which IgA nephropathy is

 prevalent in order to understand genetic factors that may influence the disease. Other 

researchers are working to understand how the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish oilsmay work to reduce inflammation in diseases like IgA nephropathy and rheumatoid arthritis.

Clinical trials are under way to test the effectiveness of MMF in reducing protein in the urine

and slowing the progression of kidney disease in people with IgA nephropathy

7/29/2019 How is IgA Nephropathy Treated

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/how-is-iga-nephropathy-treated 2/2

Lifestyle and home remedies 

To help keep your kidneys healthier:

  Take steps to reduce your blood pressure. Keeping your blood pressure levels near normal may help slow kidney damage from IgA nephropathy. Your doctor may

recommend healthy changes in your diet —  including l imiting your salt intake  —  

losing excess weight, being physicall y active, using alcohol i n moderation and 

remember ing to take your blood pressure medications as ways to keep your blood 

pressure under control .

  Monitor your blood pressure levels at home. Note each reading and bring this

record with you to your doctor's appointments.

  Eat less protein. Reducing the amount of protein you eat and taking steps to decrease

your cholesterol levels may help slow the progression of IgA nephropathy and protect

your kidneys.

Low antigen diet — A low antigen diet consists of avoiding gluten, dairy products, eggs, and most

meats [141]. The rationale for this regimen is that dietary macromolecules may be responsible for

activating the mucosal IgA system. When given to 21 consecutive patients with IgA nephropathy,

protein excretion was markedly reduced or fell into the normal range in 11 of the 12 patients whose

baseline rate was more than 1 g/day. In addition, repeat renal biopsy showed significant reductions

in mesangial IgA and complement deposition and mesangial cellularity. IgA is an autoimmune

disease. This is a disease in which a person’s own immune system damages their own

body. Scientists know that the IgA immune complex causes the inappropriate immune response.

But it is not yet known what causes the defective IgA in the first place. It likely has both genetic and

environmental components. A person is born with a predisposition for the disease, and then some

sort of “trigger”, for example an infection or food exposure, turns the disease “on”