If you’ve noticed blood in your urine and have been diagnosed with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgA nephropathy, or IgAN), your healthcare provider may have talked to you about the importance of preventing infections. They may even have given you instructions or directed you to another specialist who can help.

Preventing infections is an important part of managing IgAN, a type of chronic kidney disease (CKD), along with regular checkups, exercise, and following your treatment plan.

Here’s what to know about IgA nephropathy and infections so you can take care of your health and maintain your quality of life.

Infections and IgA Nephropathy

Research has found that people with IgAN experience infections more often than the general population. This higher risk was also seen when people with IgAN were compared with their own siblings, suggesting the difference isn’t explained by family background alone. In the same study, serious infections such as sepsis were less common but still indicated the importance of early treatment of infections.

Researchers aren’t sure exactly why infection risk is higher for people with IgAN. IgA is an immune system protein that helps protect the body from infections, especially at surfaces like the airways and digestive tract. Although no studies have directly linked abnormal IgA1 production in IgAN to infection risk, researchers note that people with IgA deficiency — a different immune condition — have a higher risk of serious infections that may require hospitalization. This comparison may help explain why infections are more common in people with IgA nephropathy, but more research is needed.

On the other hand, people with IgAN may also take medications that lower their ability to fight infections. Even though corticosteroids don’t always help people with IgAN, some healthcare professionals prescribe them. Other doctors may include immunosuppressants (medications that suppress the immune system) in an IgAN treatment plan. Both of these types of medication can lead to more infections because of how they work in the body.

Infections and Kidney Function

IgA nephropathy is often diagnosed after a person notices blood in their urine during or shortly after an upper respiratory infection. There may be a specific connection to infections in the tonsils, infections that change the balance of bacteria in the gut, and staphylococcal (staph) infections. Researchers don’t know exactly why these infections lead to the body making excess IgA and then depositing it in the kidneys, but the connection is there. Some suspect that the connection lies in inflammation that starts in the mucous membranes of either the upper respiratory tract or the intestines. This kind of inflammation is common in a respiratory infection or a stomach bug.

Since IgAN is often preceded by an infection, it makes sense that you’d want to do everything you can to avoid infections after you get diagnosed. Researchers believe that having more of certain immune system chemicals in your bloodstream is one factor that leads to increasing kidney damage in IgAN, and these chemicals are part of your body’s immune response when you have an infection. Keeping infections away can help you avoid having more of these chemicals in your body and may also help protect your long-term health.

How To Avoid Infections When Living With IgA Nephropathy

It’s normal to worry about getting sick and even more so when you’re living with IgAN. If understanding more about the connection between infection and this kidney disease is making you want to take steps to stay well, here’s what you can do.

Practice Good Hygiene

One of the best ways to prevent an infection is to focus on having good personal hygiene. This may seem simple, but it can lower your risk of infection significantly.

It’s important to make sure you wash your hands thoroughly in the following situations:

• Every time you go to the bathroom
• Every time you sneeze or cough
• Before you eat or make food
• After being around someone who was sick or might have been sick
• When you pet or handle an animal
• Generally anytime you’re dirty

You may also want to wash anytime you’ve been in a public place, for extra protection. Make sure you lather up well and wash your whole hand, including between your fingers, the tips of your fingers, and the backs of your hands.

You’ll want to wash and bandage any cuts and scrapes and avoid picking at them. Also try not to share cups, utensils, napkins, or similar items with other people, and generally avoid touching items and surfaces that lots of people have touched.

Manage Exposure

Managing your exposure involves considering practical aspects of any outing or interaction with other people and in crowded places ahead of time. You’ll want to think about how many people you’ll be around, how close they’ll be to each other, and whether you’ll be outside or indoors.

You’ll want to be aware of infection rates in your area for illnesses like the flu and COVID-19, so you can make wise decisions about whether to go out, when to go out if you have to, and what precautions to take. If you do need to go out, you may want to wear a face mask so you don’t breathe in as many particles of air that other people have breathed out.

You and your healthcare providers should decide what your parameters are for whether or not to go out, how long to stay out, and the types of events and venues that you’re willing to attend. They can help you make informed decisions that take the whole picture of your health into consideration.

Stay Vaccinated

Getting vaccinated for the flu, hepatitis B, COVID-19, and other contagious diseases can help you avoid contracting them. Vaccines can also make it easier for your body to fight infections if you do get infected. Vaccines are particularly important for people living with chronic kidney disease.

Most vaccines won’t interfere with your kidney medications or even with dialysis, though you should talk to your doctor if you have any questions. If a vaccine is live (made with a weakened form of a virus or bacteria) and you’ve had a kidney transplant, you may need to take extra precautions. Your transplant team can help you decide whether a live vaccine is safe for you. Your family members should also consult the doctor before taking any live vaccine if you had a kidney transplant.

You should also talk to your doctor if you’re worried about a flare of IgAN from a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, the research indicates that these flares are significantly less severe than what you’d likely experience if you got COVID-19 without the vaccine, so they’re considered generally safe for people diagnosed with IgAN.

Be Safe Around Food and Water

Make sure the food and water you consume isn’t contaminated and that you practice safe food handling, since gastrointestinal bugs can also affect IgAN. Taking the following simple precautions can help prevent these infections:

• Wash your hands thoroughly both before and after you handle raw meat.
• Cook foods completely, and use a thermometer to make sure they’re cooked inside.
• Defrost food only in the microwave or fridge.
• Reduce cross contamination by minimally handling raw meat and avoiding rinsing raw meat.
• Use separate preparation materials for raw versus cooked foods.

If you’re concerned about the quality of the water that’s available, limit yourself to bottled water.

Early Signs of Infections

The early signs of an infection can vary based on the type of infection. Your doctor can help you figure out if it’s a viral or a bacterial infection. In general, you should look for:

• Significant and new fatigue
• Chills
• Fever
• Headache

More specific signs might look like:

• Changes in the way you pee or the way it feels when you pee
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Inflamed skin that’s discolored, swollen, or warm
• Skin that has rashes, blisters, or warts
• Coughing and chest pain
• Night sweats
• Muscle and/or joint pain

If you think you have an infection, you should get treatment. Check in with your nephrologist, too, particularly if you’re having IgAN symptoms. They can help you support your kidneys and get additional treatment options, if you need them.

In fact, you should check in with your nephrology team regularly. They can help you monitor your kidney health so you know what’s going on in your body and whether the treatments you’re trying are working. Your doctor can also evaluate your risk level for an infection, especially during cold and flu season, and make sure you get the support you need to stay well.

Join the Conversation

On myIgANteam, people share their experiences with IgAN, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

What works for you when it comes to preventing infections with IgA nephropathy? Let others know in the comments below.