Applications of intravenous immunoglobulin.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IV Ig) preparations allow large amounts of IgG to be administered rapidly and painlessly. Currently, there are a number of IV IgG preparations available which differ in their manufacturing methods. However, all the licensed preparations are associated with a low incidence of adverse reactions on administration. They are used mainly for IgG replacement therapy in patients suffering from primary hypogammaglobulinaemia and other patients with antibody deficiency suffering from recurrent infections. A few patients with secondary hypogammaglobulinaemia and recurrent infections also benefit from IV IgG therapy, particularly patients with haematological malignancies. IV IgG in high dosage (greater than 100 g per patient) is also useful for non-immunodeficient conditions such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura but widespread use in this condition is limited by the relatively short duration of IV IgG action in autoimmune disease, and by the cost of high dose IV IgG therapy.