The type of treatment will depend on what stage of kidney disease you have. The good news is, if kidney disease is spotted early, treatments can slow down kidney damage.
If you have diabetes and kidney disease, you will probably be advised to do these things:
- Keep your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels within your target range.
- Make healthy lifestyle choices, eg, eat foods lower in salt and eat more fruits and vegetables. You should also aim for a healthy body weight, make physical activity part of your daily routine and get support to quit smoking.
- Take certain medicines, such as an ACE inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker or empagliflozin. These help protect your kidneys and reduce blood pressure and/or blood glucose.
- Make changes to your diet to help protect your kidneys. A registered dietitian can help you with these.
- Avoid certain medicines that can damage the kidneys, like ibuprofen. If you have kidney disease you should always discuss with your pharmacist or healthcare provider before you take a new medicine.
If kidney damage gets worse and you develop end-stage kidney disease, this means your kidneys are starting to fail. If this happens, treatment options include a kidney transplant or dialysis.
Apps reviewed by Healthify
You may find it useful to look at some Diabetes apps and Fluid control app (for heart and kidney health).