Treatment
There is no cure for IgA nephropathy. Your doctor will want to help prevent the condition from getting worse and relieve symptoms, such as high blood pressure. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment options include:
Medications
Your doctor may suggest the following medications:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)—to help lower blood pressure and decrease protein loss in the urine
- Corticosteroids—to provide relief for inflamed areas of the body
Dietary Changes
Your doctor may want you to reduce salt and limit the amount of protein in your diet. You can limit protein in your diet by avoiding most meats, dairy products, and gluten. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats.
Control Cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol, your doctor will want you to lower your cholesterol level. You can do this by making changes to your diet and exercising. Your doctor may also prescribe cholesterol-lowering medicine.
Fish Oil
Small studies suggest that fish may be helpful in IgA nephropathy.
Tonsillectomy
Some studies have shown that surgically removing the tonsils in people who have IgA nephropathy and have frequent infections in their tonsils may reduce the amount of blood and protein in their urine.
Dialysis
People who develop kidney failure as a result of IgA nephropathy may need to have dialysis . Dialysis is a treatment that performs the functions of natural kidneys when they fail.
Kidney Transplant
People who develop kidney failure as a result of IgA nephropathy may need to have a kidney transplant . During a kidney transplant, a severely diseased and damaged kidney is replaced with a healthy kidney from a donor.
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