Kidney Failure

Once kidney failure reaches a certain degree, it usually will progress to end stage kidney failure. Nevertheless, there are some common treatment that can benefit most patients with established kidney disease.

General Measures

• Treat hypertension (high blood pressure): It is important that high blood pressure is treated. Apart from medication that a patient should take regularly, the patient should also restrict his salt intake, and try to lose weight. Regular clinic visits or home blood pressure monitoring gives the doctor the needed information so that blood pressure treatment can be adjusted to suit the patients needs and achieve appropriate blood pressure levels. Apart from reducing the progression of renal failure, blood pressure control has the important added advantage of reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes,
• Anti-proteinuric therapy: Some kidney diseases are associated with protein loss in the urine. Certain medications can decrease / lower the amount of protein excreted in the urine. This group of drugs (called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) needs to be prescribed by the doctor. These drugs are usually prescribed more commonly in the early stage of renal disease. While on this treatment, the patient will need to have regular checks of the kidney function. This group of medications can effectively reduce the progression of renal disease. Not all patients are suitable for this form of treatment, nor do all patients tolerate this medication equally well. They can be associated with intolerable cough, and like any medications, may cause some patients to develop an allergic rash.