IgA nephropathy is a condition that affects your kidneys. With treatment, most people with IgA nephropathy have a typical life span.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), also known as Berger disease, is a kidney condition that develops when your immune system targets atypical IgA molecules and creates an abundance of autoantibodies. These autoantibodies build up in the glomeruli (the filtration structures of your kidneys) and cause inflammation, damage, and scarring.

IgAN symptoms often include hematuria (blood in your urine), proteinuria (protein in your urine), high blood pressure, and edema (swelling). Over time, IgAN can lead to kidney failure.

For most people, IgAN is mild to moderate. Timely treatment can help many people maintain kidney function.

IgAN does not directly affect your life expectancy. But over time, it increases your risk of kidney failure.

Kidney failure can occur if your kidneys don’t work well enough to meet your body’s needs. When these organs stop working, toxins build up in your body, and your fluid and electrolyte levels become unbalanced. Chronic kidney disease or end stage renal disease (ESRD) can also cause a decrease in your body’s production of hormones such as erythropoietin and calcitriol.

Eventually, your body can’t tolerate these changes, and you may develop conditions such as heart and lung failure.

According to a 2023 study, about 40% of adults who receive an IgAN diagnosis before 50 years of age may experience kidney failure within their lifetime.

In the people included in the study, the kidneys continued working for a median of about 11 years after diagnosis. And in most people, a progression to kidney failure occurred within 10 to 15 years.

However, not everyone will develop kidney failure as a result of IgAN. In many people, the condition remains mild, without symptoms, and damage to the kidneys is low.

A 2024 research review looking at kidney survival rates (how long the kidneys continued to work at a level above kidney failure) in about 2,400 people with IgAN found the following results:

  • Around 94% of people still had working kidneys after 3 years.
  • Around 89% of people still had working kidneys after 5 years.
  • Around 78% of people still had working kidneys after 10 years.

If your condition progresses to ESRD, the lowest point of kidney function, it may reduce your life span. According to another 2024 review, half of those with IgAN develop ESRD within 30 years of diagnosis.

Even with dialysis treatment, the 5-year survival rate for ESRD in the United States is about 35%. In people with diabetes, it’s lower, at 25%.

Treatment is the best way to manage IgAN and potentially reduce its effects on your life span. Doctors will typically recommend medications and supportive care, such as self-care strategies, to help preserve your kidney function and reduce proteinuria.

Proteinuria levels are associated with IgAN severity. The level of protein in your urine indicates how well your kidneys are filtering your blood. Higher proteinuria levels indicate more severe kidney damage. Protein in your urine can also worsen inflammation and damage in your kidneys.

Small efforts can make big differences in your treatment outcomes. Taking your medications as prescribed, managing other health conditions, and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits are some ways you can make the most of your treatment plan.

Take medications as prescribed

Medications are safest and most effective when taken exactly as prescribed. This means taking your medications on a consistent schedule and not skipping, missing, or doubling up on doses.

To help preserve your kidney function, doctors may recommend the following types of medication:

  • angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers
  • corticosteroids
  • targeted therapies such as Nefecon and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors

Doctors might also recommend immunosuppressants, such as cyclophosphamide and azathioprine, but these medications are typically used only when the disease is progressing rapidly.

Manage any co-occurring conditions

Co-occurring conditions are those you experience alongside IgAN. Some, such as diabetes, can significantly affect your survival outcome. In ESRD, the 5-year survival rate drops from 35% to 25% when diabetes is present.

Managing any other health conditions you have can prevent them from contributing to kidney damage.

Maintain healthy lifestyle habits

Healthy habits are a cornerstone of IgAN treatment. If applicable to you, making lifestyle changes such as these can help protect your kidney function:

  • quitting smoking
  • avoiding the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • eating a low sodium, moderate protein diet
  • getting regular exercise
  • limiting alcohol intake
  • staying hydrated
  • finding healthy ways to manage stress
  • making efforts to lose weight or to avoid weight gain

Receive treatment for ESRD

ESRD is treatable with dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Dialysis involves filtering excess fluid and waste products out of your blood, either using a machine or using your abdominal lining as a natural filter.

The survival rates for living-donor kidney transplants are excellent and have shown steady improvement over the past three decades.

According to a 2021 study, data from 2014 through 2017 showed that the median survival time after this type of transplant was about 19 years. The authors note that this survival rate was 59% higher than the survival rate for 1995 through 1999.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is an immune system-related condition that damages your kidneys over time. While it does not directly affect your life expectancy, it can lead to kidney failure, which may affect your overall life span.

With timely treatment, many people can preserve their kidney function and prevent IgAN from reaching a point where it reduces life expectancy. Self-care strategies, medications, dialysis, and kidney transplants are all options for IgAN management.