Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy in Medical Praxis

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a blood product prepared from the serum of of a thousand or more blood donors. The IVIG that is available contains complete immunoglobulin G( IgG )molecules which has intact Fc-dependent effector functions. The IgG subclasses match those in normal human serum. It is the main treatment for patients with antibody deficiencies. High dose IVIG (hdIVIG), is used as an immunomodulatory agent in an increasing number of immune and inflammatory disorders. The clinical specialities using the largest amounts of IVIG are neurology, haematology, immunology, nephrology, rheumatology and dermatology. In this paper, we review recent developments in the understanding of mechanisms of action of IVIG and the major clinical areas of use.