The goal of treatment for chronic kidney disease is to prevent or slow additional damage to your kidneys. Another condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure usually causes kidney disease, so it is important to identify and manage the condition that is causing your kidney disease. It is also important to prevent diseases or avoid situations that can cause kidney damage or make it worse.

Initial treatment

One of the most important parts of treatment for chronic kidney disease is to control the disease that is causing it. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, you and your doctor will develop a plan to aggressively treat and manage your condition to help slow additional damage to your kidneys.

Your doctor will also check you for other conditions or diseases that may cause kidney damage, including a blockage (obstruction) in the urinary tract or long-term use of medicines that can damage the kidneys, such as some antibiotics or pain relievers (such as NSAIDs).

You can take steps at home to help control your kidney disease:

• Follow an eating plan that is good for your kidneys. A dietitian can help you make an eating plan with the right amounts of sodium, fluids, and protein. For more information, see:

  Eating plan for chronic kidney disease.

• Participate in a daily exercise program. Work with your doctor or other health professional to design an exercise program that is right for you. Exercise may help you control diabetes and high blood pressure, which can lead to kidney disease.
• Avoid taking medicines that can damage your kidneys, like ibuprofen (such as Advil), naproxen sodium (Aleve), and celecoxib (Celebrex). Be sure your doctor knows about all prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and herbs that you are taking.
• Avoid dehydration. Get treatment right away for illnesses, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or fever, that can cause you to lose fluids. Be especially careful when you exercise or during hot weather. For more information, see the topic Dehydration.
• Do not smoke or use other tobacco products. Smoking can lead to atherosclerosis, which reduces blood flow to the kidneys and increases blood pressure. For more information on how to quit, see the topic Quitting Tobacco Use.
• Do not drink alcohol or use illegal drugs.

Ongoing treatment

As part of your ongoing treatment for chronic kidney disease, you may be prescribed a blood pressure medicine, such as an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). These medicines are used to increase the blood supply to the kidneys, reduce protein in the urine, and help manage high blood pressure. The recommended target blood pressure for people with kidney disease is less than 130/80.³

If you have diabetes, it is important to control your blood sugar levels with diet, exercise, and medicines. A persistently high blood sugar level can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys.