[How to slow the progression of chronic renal insufficiency]

In patients with chronic renal failure, three kinds of treatments can slow the progression of renal insufficiency: optimal control of blood pressure; use of converting enzyme inhibitors; low-protein diet. The MDRD study strongly suggests that blood pressure should not be higher than 130/85 mmHg in patients with chronic renal failure, and than 125/75 mmHg in patients with chronic renal failure and proteinuria above 1 g/d. Converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to be beneficial to patients with IDDM and either microalbuminuria or overt diabetic nephropathy and to patients with chronic renal failure and proteinuria above 1 g/d. A diet containing less than 1 g/kg/d of proteins should be prescribed to patients with chronic renal failure, and this protein content should be lowered to 0.75 g/kg/d (or to 0.60 g/kg/j in some cases) when creatinine clearance falls below 25 mL/min.