Is IgA Nephropathy hereditary? Will it run in family? The answer of this question affects many people in marring and having a baby. IgA Nephropathy is a common glomerular disease and has been reported to occur easily in family with IgA Nephropathy history, so does it mean IgA Nephropathy run in family?
Does it mean IgA Nephropathy run in family?
To be honest, it is not curate to say IgA Nephropathy is hereditary, as in most of the cases, patients have no IgA Nephropathy history at all. IgA Nephropathy is not familial in more than 90% cases, but it is familial clustering and this is more common in some specific regions or in families from those regions like Kentucky and parts of the Southeast.
The causes of IgA Nephropathy is very complicated, and gene is just one of the factors that may trigger IgA Nephropathy. For children with parents suffering from IgA Nephropathy, they are more likely to develop this disease compared with others with no family history. But this does not mean they will definitely suffer from this problem someday, as IgA Nephropathy is not hereditary.
How to prevent IgA Nephropathy?
We know in some cases IgA Nephropathy run in family, so preventive measures are necessary for lowering the risk of developing this kind of kidney problem. IgA Nephropathy is an autoimmune disease and diagnosed when large amounts of IgA immune complexes deposit in mesangial area and cause inflammation and kidney damages. Onset of this problem is closely related with immune system, so strengthening immune system and increasing immunity is very helpful for preventing IgA Nephropathy. As for this aspect, regular physical activity is very helpful.
Besides, try to develop good living habits as well as regular life style. Bad living habits like smoking and drinking alcohol all can impair our immune system and increase our risk for cold, infection and IgA Nephropathy. Therefore, try to kick bad living habits if you have developed some.
Also, some bad dietary habits like eating too much salted foods and long-term high protein intake and so on will increase kidney burden and increase the morbidity of IgA Nephropathy. For this reason, arranging a scientific diet is also beneficial.
Lastly, no matter IgA Nephropathy run in family or not, we need to have a comprehensive preventions, so as to make us stay healthy.