How does IgA Nephropathy cause protein in urine?
A loads of protein leak into urine is an abnormal condition and in clinic, many diseases can cause it. In IgA Nephropathy, protein leak into urine due to the damaged filtering ability of the kidneys. IgA Nephropathy is a kind of autoimmune disease and the onset of it has close relationship with our immune system. If our immunity is low, it will be very likely to cause immune disorder after getting a fever or infection. Also, the immune disorder will cause over reaction of immune system. Under such a condition, immune complexes will be formed easily. When too much IgA immune complexes deposite on the mesangial area, proliferation and swelling of mesangial cells will be caused, which will affect the charge barrier and mechanical barrier of glomerular filtration membrane. Glomerular filtration membrane is responsible for keeping protein in body and when its function is affected, large amounts of protein will leak into urine and form proteinuria.
How to alleviate protein in urine?
1. Tightly control high blood pressure
Some IgA Nephropathy patients may experience high blood pressure symptom which can cause further kidney damages and more protein in urine. Therefore, to decrease protein in urine effectively, having a tight control about blood pressure is also very essential.
2. Try Chinese herbs
Some Chinese herbs like micro-Chinese medicine show obvious treatment effects in helping IgA Nephropathy patients to decrease protein in urine. These medicines cause no side effect and what is more, the treatment effects hold out for long time.
3. Adjust protein intake according to illness condition
With impaired kidney function, IgA Nephropathy patients need to limit protein intake and with different severity of illness condition, different amounts of protein will be needed. Generally speaking, for people with IgA Nephropathy in early stage (1-3), 0.6-0.8grams of protein per pound per body weight will be needed a day and for these with stage 4 or stage 5, 0.2-0.4grams of protein per pound per body weight is suitable. And for dialysis patients, they need to ingest much more protein. Besides, 60% of the protein should be high quality protein which can be found in fish, lean meat, egg white and milk.
