Intravenous immune serum globulin in immunodeficiency

This study was undertaken to compare intravenous gamma-globulin (IVGG) for 1 year in patients with primary immune defects who had previously been treated with intramuscular gamma-globulin (IMGG). Forty-three patients were available for analysis. After administration of 300 mg/kg of IVGG every 3 weeks, blood immunoglobulin levels increased to within 1 SD of normal for the patient's ages. In 5 patients, this dosage regimen did not raise the immunoglobulin levels satisfactorily, although they were still better than those achieved with IMGG. In 18 patients, treatment benefits became apparent after 5 - 6 months of treatment. Substantial improvement was observed in 70% of these patients. Sixteen reactions occurred with 638 infusions, an incidence rate of 2.5%. If 2 patients with an IgM macroglobulin and 1 patient with an anti-IgA antibody were excluded, the reaction incidence would probably have been 1%.