Acute renal failure resulting from intravenous immunoglobulin therapy

Intravenous administration of immunoglobulin is used for the treatment of many conditions, including primary immunodeficiency states, autoimmune disorders, glomerulonephritides and polyneuropathy. Acute renal failure induced by intravenous immunoglobulin is a known but rare adverse reaction. We have a patient who was treated with IVIG for inflammatory polyneuropathy. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy 0.5 g/kg/ d was given for 4 days. Three days after completion of IVIG therapy, patient developed decreased urine output. His serum creatinine increased from baseline of 1.3 to 7 mg/dL. Even though IVIG was discontinued, patient required hemodialysis. This case illustrated that IVIG can cause acute oliguric renal failure which is reversible after withdrawal of the drug. Risk factors include pretreatment renal impairment, diabetes mellitus, high concentration of sucrose or glucose in IVIG preparation and older age. Awareness of this serious side effects and recognition of predisposing factors provide means of avoiding a known life threatening complication of IVIG therapy.