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.

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.
• 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) and naproxen (such as Aleve). Be sure that your doctor knows about all prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medicines 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.

As part of your ongoing treatment for chronic kidney disease, you may be prescribed a blood pressure medication, such as an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). These medications 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.

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.

Your doctor will use blood and urine tests to regularly check how well your kidneys are functioning and whether changes to your treatment plan are needed. These tests include:

• Creatinine and creatinine clearance tests , which measure the level of creatinine in the blood and how well the kidneys clear this substance from the body.
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test, which measures the amount of urea in the blood.
• Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) , which determines how well the kidneys filter the blood.

• Follow the eating plan your dietitian developed for you. Your eating plan will balance your need for calories with your need to limit certain foods, such as sodium, fluids, and protein
• Participate in a daily exercise program. Exercise may help you control diabetes and high blood pressure.
• Avoid taking medicines that can damage your kidneys. Be sure that your doctor knows about all prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and herbs you are taking.
•   Avoid dehydration. Get treatment right away for illnesses, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or fever, that can cause you to become dehydrated. Be especially careful when you exercise or during hot weather.
• Do not smoke or use other tobacco products, alcohol, or illegal drugs. Smoking can lead to atherosclerosis, which reduces blood flow to the kidneys and increases blood pressure.