IgA nephropathy is a disease that affects your kidneys. There’s no cure, but treatments can help manage the condition and delay or prevent kidney failure.
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, also known as Berger disease, is a kidney disease that occurs when IgA, an antibody from the immune system, builds up in the kidneys. This can cause inflammation and damage to the kidney tissues.
There’s no cure for IgA nephropathy, but treatment can help manage the condition and prevent or delay end stage renal (kidney) disease.
This article explores treatment options for IgA nephropathy, including medications, lifestyle changes, and clinical trials.
A doctor may prescribe medications for IgA nephropathy to:
- remove excess fluid from your blood
- regulate your blood pressure
- suppress your immune system
- lower your blood cholesterol levels
- reduce levels of protein in your urine
Most medications for the treatment of IgA nephropathy fall into one of two categories: non-immunosuppressive or immunosuppressive.
Non-immunosuppressive medications are used to prevent disease progression, while immunosuppressive medications are used to reduce inflammation.
Non-immunosuppressive medications
Non-immunosuppressive medications for IgA nephropathy include:
These drugs lower your blood pressure and reduce the amount of protein that’s filtered through to your urine.
Doctors may prescribe a diuretic together with these medications to make them more effective. A diuretic helps your kidneys remove extra fluid from your blood, which can also help with blood pressure.
Another non-immunosuppressive medication is sparsentan (Filspari), an
This medication lowers protein levels in the urine in people with IgA nephropathy, whose condition may progress quickly.
Immunosuppressive medications
Sometimes a doctor will prescribe an immunosuppressive medication that helps control your immune system.
Inflammation is an immune system response. Controlling this immune response can help decrease inflammation that can damage your kidneys.
Immunosuppressive medications for IgA nephropathy include:
- cyclophosphamide
- corticosteroids, such as prednisone
Budesonide is another corticosteroid a doctor may prescribe for IgA nephropathy. It helps decrease inflammation in the kidneys and reduce protein levels in the urine in people whose condition may progress quickly.
Other medications
Some people with IgA nephropathy may have high levels of cholesterol. Cholesterol is a type of fat that your body needs to be healthy, but having too much of it can be unhealthy.
Having high cholesterol levels
Doctors may prescribe medications called statins to help decrease cholesterol levels.
In addition to medications, a doctor may recommend a variety of lifestyle changes to help you manage IgA nephropathy.
Dietary modifications
Nutrition has not been shown to cause or prevent IgA nephropathy, but a medical professional may recommend that you change your diet to better manage this condition.
Dietary modifications may include:
- Limiting the amount of sodium in your diet. Sodium often comes from salt, and reducing salt intake will help lower your blood pressure and reduce edema (swelling caused by too much fluid).
- Following a diet that is low in saturated fats and cholesterol. This will help manage high cholesterol levels in your blood.
- Shifting toward a plant-based diet.
A doctor or nutritionist may also advise you to eat protein in moderation.
When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into waste that is filtered through your kidneys. Having more protein in your body than necessary may place a greater burden on your kidneys and lead them to decline more quickly.
Your gut microbiome may also play a role
A
However, more research is needed to fully understand the connection between the gut microbiome and IgA nephropathy and whether improving gut health can help prevent or manage IgA nephropathy.
Fish oil supplements
Fish oil supplements that contain omega-3 fatty acids may help slow kidney damage by lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation.
However, if you have IgA nephropathy, you should not take any supplements without first asking your doctor whether they might be beneficial for you.
Healthy lifestyle practices
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help you manage IgA nephropathy. Healthy lifestyle practices include:
- exercising regularly
- limiting alcohol consumption
- making efforts to maintain a moderate weight
- getting enough sleep
- avoiding smoking
- managing stress levels
IgA nephropathy can cause a variety of complications that may require treatment,
- high blood pressure
- kidney failure
- heart problems
High blood pressure and heart or cardiovascular problems may be treated with medication.
Kidney failure may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
- Dialysis removes extra fluids and waste from your blood. A dialysis machine takes on some of the job your kidneys would do if they weren’t damaged. This can help improve symptoms.
- A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces a failed kidney with a healthy donor kidney.
Participating in a clinical trial may be a treatment option for some people with IgA nephropathy.
Clinical trials investigate whether new drugs, treatments, and devices are safe for use in humans. They also determine whether treatments are effective and whether they have any side effects.
Potential benefits of participating in a trial include:
- access to treatment that’s only available as part of a trial
- more frequent checkups and tests
- closer monitoring
- the opportunity to help improve treatment options for IgA nephropathy
However, participating in a clinical trial does carry some risks, such as:
- unintended side effects
- the possibility of receiving a placebo (no treatment) rather than the treatment being studied
- no response to the treatment
- time-consuming travel and appointments
For more information about clinical trials for IgA nephropathy, talk with your doctor and visit the IgA Nephropathy Foundation website for more information.
IgA nephropathy is a disease that damages your kidneys. There’s currently no cure for the disease, but treatment can help you manage the disease and prevent or delay end stage kidney disease, or kidney failure.
Treatment options include non-immunosuppressive and immunosuppressive medications and cholesterol-lowering medications. Your doctor might also recommend lifestyle and dietary changes to manage IgA nephropathy.
Further treatments, such as dialysis, may be required for complications from IgA nephropathy.