Subscribe
IgA nephropathy
Is IgA nephropathy stage 2 serious?
IgA nephropathy, when classified according to the World Health Organization, is divided into five stages. Stage 2 IgA nephropathy generally indicates that the patient has a relatively mild condition, with only mild lesions. More than half of the glomeruli are normal, and only a small portion of the glomeruli show increased mesangial cells and glomerulosclerosis. Generally, crescent formations do not occur. Clinically, patients with Stage 2 IgA nephropathy typically exhibit proteinuria and hematuria, usually with normal blood pressure and normal kidney function. Therefore, for patients with Stage 2 IgA nephropathy, it is crucial to maintain a regular lifestyle, avoid infections and fatigue, and refrain from using nephrotoxic drugs. In cases of infection, it is important to actively control the infection. Of course, if the patient's proteinuria exceeds 0.5g, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors can be used to reduce proteinuria and simultaneously protect kidney function.
Will IgA nephropathy be inherited?
The pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy is currently not very clear, but it is certain that IgA nephropathy is not a hereditary disease. However, although IgA nephropathy is not hereditary, many clinical phenomena suggest that there is a familial aggregation of IgA nephropathy, meaning that often, the parents of patients with IgA nephropathy also tend to have children with the condition. Of course, IgA nephropathy patients are usually adolescents and predominantly males. The main clinical manifestations include recurrent episodes of gross hematuria or persistent microscopic hematuria, which might be accompanied by increased urinary protein. Typically, some patients with IgA nephropathy may experience abnormal renal function, elevated blood pressure, and even develop uremia. Therefore, IgA nephropathy must be taken seriously and requires regular follow-up of routine urine changes.
Can IgA nephropathy affect menstruation?
IgA nephropathy is a very common glomerular disease in the department of nephrology and is often seen in adolescents, affecting both males and females. Generally, IgA nephropathy itself does not affect menstruation. However, if hormones or immunosuppressants are used during the treatment of IgA nephropathy, it may affect the menstrual cycle or the amount of menstrual flow. In other words, some patients with IgA nephropathy may experience delayed menstruation, reduced menstrual flow, or even increased menstrual flow while using these medications. Therefore, for patients with abnormal menstruation, it is important to report to the doctor in a timely manner and to actively undergo relevant examinations to rule out other causes. If there are no other factors, medication treatment can continue while regularly monitoring kidney function and changes in routine urine tests.
Can IgA nephropathy hematuria heal itself?
Hematuria is the most common clinical manifestation of IgA nephropathy. As IgA nephropathy is a chronic disease and not self-healing, the hematuria associated with it does not resolve on its own and will repeatedly occur or exacerbate. Typically, patients with IgA nephropathy exhibit microscopic hematuria when the condition is stable. However, gross hematuria may appear during physical exertion or respiratory infections, such as pharyngitis. In addition, IgA nephropathy patients also show increased urinary protein and can experience elevated blood pressure. Back pain is also a common clinical manifestation in patients with IgA nephropathy, so there is no need to be overly concerned about the presence of blood in the urine.
Foods to Avoid with IgA Nephropathy
IgA nephropathy patients are a very common type of glomerular disease. For IgA nephropathy patients, it is crucial to adhere to a light diet, meaning they should avoid foods such as pickles, salted vegetables, kimchi, cured products, smoked products, and barbecues, focusing primarily on fresh vegetables and fruits. Of course, if IgA nephropathy patients also suffer from renal insufficiency, they must avoid various soy products including tofu, bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and nut-based foods. These foods contain a lot of plant proteins, which can increase the burden on the kidneys, leading to potential renal insufficiency. Additionally, they should not consume foods high in potassium, such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, etc. Therefore, it is essential for IgA nephropathy patients to be cautious with their diet.
How to maintain health with IgA nephropathy normally?
This is a pathological type of chronic glomerulonephritis, which is a diagnostic term in immunopathology and essentially represents chronic glomerulonephritis. The severity of this disease can vary, as can its clinical manifestations. Patients should avoid catching colds in their daily life by staying warm and not seeking cool environments. It is important to maintain a distance from people who are already sick to avoid close contact. In terms of diet, patients should eat low-salt, low-fat, and high-quality low-protein foods, and control their salt intake, but not completely avoid salt. Also, they should avoid eating too much greasy and fatty food.
How to treat IgA nephropathy?
IgA nephropathy has many clinical manifestations and pathological types, and the treatment of IgA nephropathy is selected based on different clinical manifestations and pathological types. Usually, for patients with IgA nephropathy who only show microscopic hematuria, drug treatment is not necessary. They only need to regularly monitor routine urine tests, kidney function, and blood pressure changes in daily life, and must avoid using medications that are toxic to the kidneys. If the patient presents with gross hematuria related to tonsillar infection, tonsillectomy is recommended. If an IgA nephropathy patient has increased urinary protein, and the 24-hour urinary protein quantification exceeds 1g, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers can be used. Of course, for patients with significant proteinuria, steroids or immunosuppressants may also be used. In addition, IgA nephropathy patients can also be treated with traditional Chinese medicine. (Medication use should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)
How to deal with swollen feet in IgA nephropathy?
IgA nephropathy is a pathological type of chronic glomerulonephritis, and patients are prone to edema. The treatment of this edema is divided into two aspects: First, it is necessary to control the condition of IgA nephropathy itself. If there is a significant amount of proteinuria or a large formation of crescents in the glomeruli, the patient may need to use steroids and immunosuppressive agents to control the inflammatory response in the glomeruli. This is the fundamental approach to treating this disease. Second, symptomatic treatment is applied. For mild edema, no special treatment is generally required. However, for severe edema or even systemic edema, it may be appropriate to use diuretics to increase urine output, which can alleviate the patient's edema. However, this is not a solution to the root cause of the problem.
Does stage 2 IgA nephropathy require treatment?
IgA nephropathy can be divided into five stages, where stages one to two are relatively mild, early stages, and generally have a good prognosis. For patients with stage two IgA nephropathy, it is rare for the condition to progress to uremia, but whether treatment is needed largely depends on the clinical manifestations of the IgA nephropathy. If a patient with IgA nephropathy has a 24-hour urinary protein quantification greater than 0.5g, it is advisable to use an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor antagonist to protect kidney function and reduce urinary protein. If a stage two IgA nephropathy patient only shows microscopic hematuria, drug treatment is not necessary. However, routine urinalysis and kidney function monitoring should be conducted in daily life, and if an infection occurs, timely anti-infection treatment should be administered. If a stage two IgA nephropathy patient has significant proteinuria, steroid treatment is often required. (Medication should be taken under the guidance of a doctor.)
How to determine the stages of IgA nephropathy?
IGA nephropathy has different grading methods, such as Lee grading and Hass grading. Both classify the pathological changes of IGA nephropathy into five stages, with similar descriptions. According to the Lee grading: Grade 1: Most glomeruli are normal, with occasional mild mesangial widening or without cellular proliferation, and no tubulointerstitial changes. Grade 2: Glomeruli show focal mesangial proliferation, with no tubulointerstitial changes. Grade 3: Glomeruli exhibit diffuse mesangial proliferation, with occasional segmental focal lesions, rare crescents, and adhesions, focal interstitial edema, and rare cellular infiltration. Grade 4: Glomeruli show diffuse severe mesangial proliferation and sclerosis, partial or segmental glomerulosclerosis, crescent formation observed but less than 45%, tubular atrophy, interstitial infiltration. Grade 5: The nature of the lesions is similar to grade 4 but more severe. Crescent formation in glomeruli is greater than 45%.