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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no cure for IgA nephropathy and no definitive way of knowing what course the disease will take in any particular person. Some people experience complete remission and others live normal lives with low-grade hematuria or proteinuria. But perhaps as many as half of those affected eventually go on to develop end-stage renal disease. For this reason, treatment of IgA nephropathy focuses on slowing the progression of the disease and preventing complications.
Medications used to treat IgA nephropathy include:
- High blood pressure medications. One of the most common complications of IgA nephropathy is high blood pressure. Taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) can lower your blood pressure and reduce the amount of protein (albumin) in your urine.
- Immunosuppressants. Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and other potent immunosuppressants are sometimes used to treat severe symptoms, but their use is controversial. These drugs can cause a range of serious side effects, and their benefits must be carefully weighed against the risks.
- Omega-3 fatty acids. These beneficial fats, available in dietary fish oil supplements, can reduce inflammation in the glomeruli without harmful side effects.
- Vitamin E. Supplements of vitamin E may help reduce protein — but not blood — in the urine.
- IgA nephropathy. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/iganephropathy. Accessed Aug. 31, 2008.
- Strippoli GF, et al. Evidence-based survey of therapeutic options for IgA nephropathy: Assessment and criticism. American Journal of Kidney Disease. 2003;41(6):1129-1139.
- Glomerulonephritis. MayoClinic.com. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glomerulonephritis/DS00503. Accessed Aug. 31, 2008.
- Donadio JV, et al. The long-term outcome of patients with IgA nephropathy treated with fish oil in a controlled trial. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 1999;10(8):1772-1777.
- Donadio JV, et al. IgA nephropathy. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2002;738-748.
- Coppo R, et al. IgACE: A placebo-controlled, randomized trial of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in children and young people with IgA nephropathy and moderate proteinuria. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2007;18(6):1880-1888.
- Barratt J, et al. Causes and diagnosis of IgA nephropathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed Aug. 31, 2008.
- Cattran DC, et al. Treatment and prognosis of IgA nephropathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 31, 2008.
- Coppo R, et al. Factors predicting progression of IgA nephropathies. Journal of Nephrology. 2005;18(5):503-512.
- Gharavi AG, et al. IgA nephropathy, the most common cause of glomerulonephritis, is linked to 6q22-23. Nature Genetics. 2000;26:354-357.
