IgA Nethropathy
Six months ago, I was diagnosed as having a kidney disease called IgA Nethropathy. The symptoms, which include high blood pressure, are being kept under control with tablets (Istin). My consultant says I will not get better but that I should be able to control this condition so that I don’t feel sick and can lead a normal life. He also suggested cranberry juice might help. Is there anything else I should be eating or avoiding? I am 32 and male.
The name of this condition comes from the fact that your body is depositing substances known as IgA Immune Complexes in both kidneys, which slowly damages them. Unexpected high blood pressure is often the first sign of this problem. Your current medication is a calcium channel-blocking agent that will help reduce this problem but as you know, this is treating the symptom, not the cause of your disease.
There are lots of theories about what triggers this and other auto-immune diseases, but nobody really knows the true cause. What is suggested is that any supplementation you take should be carefully monitored by a qualified health professional since renal disease does affect the elimination of important minerals from the body.
Dr Adam Carey, a medical doctor and founder of The Centre for Nutritional Medicine in London ( no longer in operation), says that since normal blood mineral levels are maintained by the body until the very end stages of the disease in renal failure, a hair mineral analysis test would give a truer picture of your current and future nutritional status.
He advises cutting salt out of your diet. Sodium retention is often the result of kidney damage and this, in turn, affects the production of a hormone called rennin, which controls blood pressure. Avoid processed and low fat foods which have hidden salt added to improve taste. You also need to keep well hydrated and should aim for 2 litres of fluids, either still water or herbal teas, every day. Dr Carey suggests you consider installing a quality water filter which is plumbed into the mains and which reduces contaminants from normal levels of 500 parts per million to less than 10.
Relieve the burden on your kidneys by eliminating toxins from your diet. To do this, switch to organic produce and avoid sugar and alcohol. Celery and watercress both help prevent fluid retention so include these in your diet. Cut out caffeine, which is a vascoconstrictor that will further exacerbate your high blood pressure.
Damaged kidneys do not cope well with a high animal protein diet. Better protein sources are beans, lentils, rice and soya says Dr Carey. He has also found evidence suggesting that selenium deficiency can impair renal function while low levels of magnesium will affect blood pressure. Regular, moderate exercise will help. So will avoiding becoming overweight.
* For details of the Aquathin Water Filter, which works by reverse osmosis, call 01252-860111. It costs £150 for installation and around £90 a quarter to lease the filtering equipment. If you suffer this same condition, visit www.igan.org for further complementary health advice.