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Rare indications of IVIG therapy in neurological diseases based on case reports and small studies
1Dept. of Neurology, University of Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg 45, 89081, Ulm, Germany. hayrettin.tumani@uni-ulm.de
IVIG treatment has been tried in several neurological diseases with presumed immunopathogenesis. Many of the rare neurological diseases seem to benefit from IVIG treatment; however, negative results have been rarely published. Despite the majority of positive results, a general use of IVIG cannot be recommended for these diseases. Beside the lack of controlled studies and the small numbers of reported cases, a publication bias has to be considered since negative study results are usually not reported. Therefore, at this stage treatment with IVIG should be used in conjunction with controlled therapy trials.
IVIG treatment has been tried in several neurological diseases with presumed immunopathogenesis. Many of the rare neurological diseases seem to benefit from IVIG treatment; however, negative results have been rarely published. Despite the majority of positive results, a general use of IVIG cannot be recommended for these diseases. Beside the lack of controlled studies and the small numbers of reported cases, a publication bias has to be considered since negative study results are usually not reported. Therefore, at this stage treatment with IVIG should be used in conjunction with controlled therapy trials.
