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Uses of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) Therapy


IVIG is used to treat a number of autoimmune disorders, idiopathic diseases (disease of unknown cause), and infections.

FDA Approved Uses

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of IVIG for the following 7 conditions:

  • Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
  • Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)
  • Primary Immunodeficiency states
  • Secondary Immunodeficiency in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
  • Kawasaki disease
  • Prevention of Graft vs. Host disease in an adult bone marrow transplant recipient

The first four conditions account for 70% of IVIG use.[1]

Other Uses

Given the broad action of IVIG, it can also be used to treat a variety of other conditions, in which controlled trials establishing the safety and efficacy are still needed. Some of these off-label uses are:

  1. Neurological diseases: Guillain - Barré syndrome, CIDP, myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, multifocal motor neuropathy and multiple sclerosis.
  2. Dermatological diseases: Autoimmune blistering dermatoses, dermatomyositis, pemphigus, pemphigoid.
  3. Rheumatological diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis (adult and juvenile), systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic vasculitides, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, inclusion-body myositis and Wegeners granulomatosis.
  4. Hematological diseases: Aplastic anemia, pure red cell aplasia, diamond-blackfan anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, hemolytic disease of the newborn, acquired factor VIII inhibitors, acquired von Willebrand disease, immunemediated neutropenia and neonatal alloimmune/ autoimmune thrombocytopenia.
  5. Infectious diseases: Acquired infectious disease that could be deleterious in low birth weight baby (ie, less than 1500 g), solid organ transplantation, extensive burns and HIV infection.
  6. Respiratory disease: Asthma.
  7. Miscellaneous: Acute idiopathic dysautonomia, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, hemophagocytic syndrome, multiple myeloma and POEMS syndrome, recurrent pregnancy loss.

Further Readings

To find detailed information about uses of IVIG in treatment of a particular disease, please click on the link of the disease you are interested in:

Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of CIDP >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of GBS >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of Dermatology >>>
Effectiveness of  IVIG Therapy in Treatment of Dermatomyositis >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG Therapy in Treatment of Pemphigus >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of Primary Immunodeficiency >>>
Effectiveness of IVIG in Treatment of Prevention of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss>>>

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References

1.Darabi, K., O. Abdel-Wahab, and W.H. Dzik, Current usage of intravenous immune globulin and the rationale behind it: the Massachusetts General Hospital data and a review of the literature. Transfusion, 2006. 46(5): p. 741-53. Medline.

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