Q: I am 52 years old. I am suffering from diabetes for the past nine years. My latest glycosylated Hb count was 6.9. I am also suffering from cardio myopathy and have hypertension for the past three months. My creatinine level has gone up to 3.31. The nephrologist has put me on ARB (Losar) to control my BP. In addition, I am also taking Amlodipine 10 mg daily. The doctor has advised me to start taking 16 Ketosteril tablets a day. But the cost is prohibiting me to use this medicine. Can stem cell treatment cure my diabetes? Will this stop the progression of my kidney disease?

A:The main problem with your health seems to be chronic renal failure. It is very important that you do the following to delay the progression:

1. Control blood pressure to less than 125/75 mmHg.
2. There is a definite role of ARB as mentioned, but your potassium levels should be monitored, as sometimes this can adversely affect your kidney, which you would notice in the first 10 days of starting Losartan.
3. Control your glucose level and achieve HbA1c of less than 7%
4. You should be using statins (e.g. atorvastatin) group of medication, which you can discuss with your treating doctor.
5. I am not aware of ketosteril's use in chronic kidney disease. Your nephrologist can advise you on this issue. But I can reassure you that there is not significant improvement or advantage of this drug.
6. There is early evidence of stem cell therapy in diabetes, but it is still in a clinical trial stage. A major concern is the risk of cancer of tumour in humans.