Kamali Sevil, Cefle Ayse, Sayarlioglu Mehmet, Gul Ahmet, Inanc Murat, Ocal Lale, Aral Orhan, Konice Meral
Department of Rheumatology, Division of Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Rheumatol Int. 2005 Apr;25(3):211-4. doi: 10.1007/s00296-003-0422-0. Epub 2004 Jan 14.
We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety profile of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (HD-IVIG) therapy in patients with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory muscle disease (IMD), Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), and/or concurrent infection who failed to respond to standard therapies. We evaluated the records of eight patients with SLE, eight with IMD, and four with WG who were treated with HD-IVIG (2 g/kg per month for 1-12 months) for active disease in 19 patients and concurrent infection in three (mycobacterial in two with SLE and cytomegaloviral in one with WG). Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) scores before and after HD-IVIG were statistically analysed. Remission was achieved in 14 cases (70%). The SLEDAI scores significantly decreased in patients with SLE (P=0.02). No serious side effect was observed. High-dose IVIG may be used as an adjunctive treatment in connective tissue diseases that do not respond to standard therapies or as alternative treatment for patients with concurrent severe infections or for whom immunosuppressives are contraindicated.
