A number of studies have examined the beneficial effects of glycemic control. In the Minnesota Medical School trial, researchers examined kidney tissues of long-term diabetics who received healthy kidney transplants. After 5 years, patients who followed an intensive regimen developed significantly fewer lesions in their glomeruli than did patients not following an intensive regimen. This result, along with findings of the DCCT and studies performed in Scandinavia, suggests than any program resulting in sustained lowering of blood glucose levels will be beneficial to patients in the early stages of diabetic nephropathy. Antihypertensive Medication Scientists have made great progress in developing methods that slow the onset and progression of kidney disease in people with diabetes.
Antihypertensive drugs can slow the progression of kidney disease significantly.
ACE inhibitors have lowered proteinuria and slowed deterioration even in diabetic patients who did not have high blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers are another class of antihypertensive drugs that have been promising. Some, but not all, calcium channel blockers may be able to decrease proteinuria and damage to kidney tissue. Researchers are investigating whether combinations of calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors might be more effective than either treatment used alone. Low Protein Diets A diet containing reduced amounts of protein may benefit people with kidney disease of diabetes.