Diabetic Nephropathy

Home Treatment

If you have diabetes, work with your health professional to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. By managing your blood sugar, you can reduce the chances of developing nephropathy, or you can slow the disease if you already have it.¹ Your health professional will want you to check your blood sugar several times each day. For more information, see:

Home blood sugar monitoring.

Other steps you can take include the following:

• Check your blood pressure often, and also have it checked at your health professional's office. The American Diabetes Association recommends a target blood pressure of less than 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).¹ The level recommended by other organizations may vary. Talk with your health professional about the target blood pressure that is right for you. Learn to check your blood pressure at home. For more information, see:

  Monitoring your blood pressure at home.

• Be sure to take your blood pressure medicines as prescribed.
• Avoid medicines that damage or stress the kidneys, especially nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• Follow the nutrition guidelines for hypertension (including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet). For more information, see:

  Tips for following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

• Maintain a healthy weight for your height and age by eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly. A low-fat diet and regular exercise also will lower your risk of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease. See the body mass index (BMI) chart for adults or the same chart in metric to determine your healthy weight.
• Do not smoke or use other tobacco products. People with diabetes who smoke raise their risk of nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, and other complications of diabetes.
• Eat a moderate amount of protein. If you have nephropathy, your health professional may recommend limiting protein. Experts debate the value of cutting back on protein in the diet. For now, most health professionals recommend that protein make up no more than 10% of daily calories.
• Limit salt. Your health professional may recommend that you cut back on salt because it may make your high blood pressure worse.

What to think about

If your diabetic nephropathy becomes worse and kidney failure develops, you may need to follow a specific diet. A dietitian can help you understand the requirements of this diet and help you make healthy choices.

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: January 17, 2007
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine D.C. Mendelssohn, MD, FRCPC - Nephrology
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