Will IgA Nephropathy Lead to Renal Failure?

Many patients care about the prognosis of IgA Nephropathy and they wonder whether IgA Nephropathy will lead to renal failure. IgA Nephropathy, mesangial proliferative IgA Nephropathy as its full name, refers in particular to the primary IgA Nephropathy, characterized by deposition of IgA (mainly) and other immune complex in mesangial area. It has various manifestations and does not have fixed features in histology.

The progression of IgA Nephropathy is relatively slow in the early stage, but there will be a period that this renal function declines sharply and it develops into renal failure. So we need to have a good learning of the progression of IgA Nephropathy.

According to pathological changes, it can be divided into five stages.

1. Glomeruli are normal under the light microscopy and only a few parts appear to have slight broadening of mesangial area, with or without mesangial cells' proliferation.

2. Level II. (Mild change). More than half of the glomeruli appear normal and only a small part are found to have changes like mesangial cells' proliferation, glomerular sclerosis and adhension, etc. and crescents which is rarely seen.

3. Level III. (Focal Segmental Glomerulonephritis). This level is characterized by diffuse hyperplasia of mesangial cells, broadening of mesangial area, focal segmental pathological change and occasional adhension and crescents. Renal interstitium has slight pathological change, showing edema, focal inflammatory cell' infiltration.

4. Level IV. (Diffuse Mesangial Proliferative Glomerulonephritis). Almost all glomeruli can be found to have diffuse proliferative mesangial cells, obviously broadened mesangial area, glomerulosclerosis and failed glomeruli can usually be seen. Over half of the glomeruli appear to have both cytoadherence and crescent. Tubules-interstitial have severe pathological change, tubular atrophies obviously and a large amount of inflammatory cell infiltration can be seen from interstitium.

How to Treat IgA Nephropathy

IgA Nephropathy is a set of chronic glomerular diseases which have the same immunopathology characteristics. 40%-50% of patients got gross hematuria or microscopical hematuresis. 35%-40% of the patients have manifestations like microscopical hematuresis together with proteinuria. The others have symptoms of nephrotic syndrome or renal failure.
Treating IGA Nephropathy sclerosis with hormone, triptolide and cyclophosphamide to anti-inflammation is not enough to improve ischemia and anaerobic condition, and can’t repair glomerular filtration membrane effectively and recover its normal functions. It is obvious that hormone, triptolide and cyclophosphamide can play provisional roles as follows: first restrain the generation of receptor and control the damage and progress of inflammation; second deal with urine protein and occult blood in symptomatic treatment. In fact, these drugs can’t repair the damaged renal intrinsic cells, so the source of the trouble isn’t eliminated.
Even if proteinuria and occult blood are disappeared after taking medicine in focal proliferous sclerosing IgA nephropathy, due to the disease fundamental lesion can’t be treated, the lesion of renal intrinsic cells are still in. Thus, proteinuria and occult blood will repeat due to reiterative immune complex deposit. Therefore, what should we do to treat IGA nephropathy? The most fundamental key to treat IgA Nephropathy is to repair damaged renal intrinsic cells.
After many years’ research and experiment, a characteristic treatment has been established in China Shijiazhuang Kidney Disease Hospital: Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy. Actived Chinese Medicine substance contributes its effects in improving internal environment. It can also provide various nutritions to renal intrinsic cells. In the end achieving the goal of repairing intrinsic renal cells, recovering renal functions and avoiding the repeating disease.