25 yo, GFR downs quickly

[truongtieupham]

Dear All,

I am 25, male and have been diagnosed Iga Neph since 2016 with eGFR around 110, have not done biopsy.

However, now after 3 years, my eGFR declined to 80. I am so confused and disappointed since I do not know why. I also try to eat healthy and the test in Urine is fine (blood + or ++, protein around 0.3-0.45g/day), no sick or flu. My doctor does not tell anything because for him, no worry until eGFR below 60. But you know, it has 30 down after 3 years and I also try to control the diet, if I can not find the reason, it will come to end stage quickly.

Does anyone has same situation? or Could you give some advice?

Thank you so much.

Best wishes to all.

[Bassetmommer]

Hi

GFR will fluctuate from lab to lab. A decline might be just being dehydrated. So before you panic, take a look at the times you had you lab drawn and what you did before you went. However, CKD is progressive so to have a decline with IGA is not unexpected. There are treatments and I am sure diet will help to slow the progression. You say you eat healthy but do you know about kidney diets? And your right, most doctors do not do much until the GFR is below 60. So you need to learn as much as you can and be your own advocate. And remember, even if the kidneys do fail, there are options.

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

renal.org/information-resou...

[truongtieupham in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thank you so so much for your advice. Best wishes to you.

[Bet117]

Zazzel. What is your opinion?

[lowraind]

My reply is similar to Bassetmommer's, but my main question is what do you mean by eating healthy? Also, even when you get below 60, doctors do not seem concerned when you are in stage 3. You do need to be your own advocate.

[WYOAnne]

Eating healthy and eating kidney friendly are usually 2 different ways of eating.

As far as your GFR, 80 is still normal and that's why your doctor hasn't gotten too worried. Your GFR can be affected by being dehydrated, exercise and what you are the day before you had the test. Remember too, eGFR is but an estimate of your kidney's filtration.

See if you can get a referral to see a renal dietician. Change you diet now to a kidney diet and you could stabilize. Please realize too that if you have kidney damage it should show up in other labs and in urine tests. What is your creatinine and BUN?

[hopewell in reply to WYOAnne]

why are you asked : What is your creatinine and BUN?

i am very concern these two, too.

[truongtieupham in reply to WYOAnne]

Thank you so much for useful information and great advice. My creatinine in blood is 1.12, and I do not know what is BUN?

[truongtieupham in reply to WYOAnne]

Oh, I have understood what is BUN. I have checked my BUN to creatinine ratio and it shows that I was not dehydrated. ToT

[Zazzel]

I would ask your doctor why you were diagnosed with IGA Nephropathy as it is usual only suspected until a biopsy can confirm it and you said you have not had a biopsy. The cause of it can help determine what you do about it. If it’s hereditary your doctor may try something different than if it is caused from illness such as celiac.

It is important to keep track of your blood pressure. IGAN can lead to high blood pressure which can cause further damage. Make a chart for yourself or use a phone app to monitor it. Also make a chart of your lab results so you can see if any patterns are emerging. Track your GFR, albumin, phosphorus, potassium and cholesterol. IGAN can also increase your cholesterol.

As for diet, add fish oil or flax oil to your diet to increase the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. IGAN is made worse by inflammation in the body. Reduce or eliminate processed foods that are high in sodium, sugar and bad oils. There are a lot of theories about how much protein to eat. At this point, look at your current diet. If it is high in animal protein, cut back on that and focus more on fish and chicken rather than red meat. If you do eat red meat occasionally, consumption, eat grass fed as it is higher in Omega 3. Each more fresh fruits and veggies and drink lots of water. There are lots of articles about eliminating gluten and dairy from the diet. You might want to research that more to see if it is right for you. Most doctors won’t give you much advice on diet until you reach later stages.

That being said, each of us is different and requires different nutritional guidelines, but the biggest key is trying to keep inflammation down.

[truongtieupham in reply to Zazzel]

Thank you so so much for your information and advice.