In this pilot study, we investigated the relative avidities for streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SPE-A) and SPE-B of antibodies in sera from patients with fatal streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome and from healthy individuals and in intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations. We observed a great variation in the relative avidities of patient, control, and IVIG immunoglobulin G (IgG) ...

Purpose: Immunoglobulin replacement is the mainstay treatment in patients with humoral immunodeficiencies, yet a handful of patients continue to develop sinopulmonary infections while on therapy. The objective of our study was to compare immunoglobulin G (IgG) pneumococcal antibody levels in patients with humoral immune deficiencies who have been on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin IVIG utilization at King Khalid University Hospital, an 850 bed tertiary care academic center, over a-3-year period. METHODS Patients who received IVIG in the period from January 2003 to December 2005 at King Khalid University Hospital were identified retrospectively using the hospital computer system. Their charts were subsequent...

A 42-year-old Japanese man developed Churg-Strauss syndrome 7 years after being diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. Prominent eosinophilia, subcutaneous nodules, and neuropathy in the left leg were seen. A pathological diagnosis of necrotizing vasculitis was determined by a biopsy of a subcutaneous nodule. The leg pain was severe and there was prominent atrophy of the thigh and calf,...

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was originally licensed as antibody replacement therapy in patients with primary immunodeficiencies. Subsequent experimental use of IVIG during the last several decades, however, has shown that it is effective in numerous medical conditions. Currently there are six United States, Food and Drug Administration approved clinical indications for IVIG in...

Background: Primary (PID) or secondary (SID) immunodeficiencies are diseases caused by quantitative and/or functional alterations of the different mechanisms involved in innate and adaptive immune response. This economic evaluation was conducted to compare cost treatment HYQVIA® (hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous infusion immunoglobulin, fSCIG) compared intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (S...

A 62-year-old man with past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) and hypertension presented with progressive shortness of breath since three months. He was diagnosed with diabetic polyradiculopathy with diaphragmatic involvement and was started on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy. Rapid improvement was seen as evidenced by increased vital capacity and other pulmonary func...

We report a case of Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) complicated by severe cardiac failure and peripheral neuropathy. Two courses of methylprednisolone pulse therapy were unable to control the disease activity. Repeated intravenous administration of high-dose human immunoglobulin (IVIg) was added together with intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy (IVCY), and the patient's cardiac function and...

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy is increasingly used for its immunomodulating properties in a wide range of pathological conditions including autoimmune diseases, systemic inflammatory diseases and allotransplantation. Intravenous immunoglobulins are obtained from a pool of several thousand healthy blood donors. They are composed of intact IgG with a distribution of subclasses corresp...

We report a case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with worsening dyspnea which rapidly progressed to severe heart failure. Coronary arteries showed no obstruction. Supportive measures stabilized the patient's hemodynamics. Initially intravenous solumedrol was given, but when the patient's condition continued to deteriorate, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was added to the treatment regime...