A prospective controlled crossover trial of a new presentation (10% vs. 5%) of a heat-treated intravenous immunoglobulin

Post-marketing observational study on 5% intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with secondary immunodeficiency and recurrent serious bacterial infections

Secondary hypogammaglobulinemia is one of the factors responsible for the increased susceptibility to infection in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This study assessed the therapeutic results, concomitant medication and tolerance of administering 5% intravenous immunoglobulin, secondary immunodeficiency and recurrent serious bacterial infections. A single center, post-marketing, observational clinical study was performed on 10 patients with a variety of hematological malignancies (CLL, follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma, IgM-secreting immunocytoma, IgA plasmacytoma and myelodysplastic syndrome/non-Hodgkin lymphoma) who had been infused with IVIG from June 1994 to May 2009. The clinical benefit of IVIG was assessed by comparing the incidence of bacterial infections before and after starting this therapy. Plasma immunoglobulin concentrations and relevant hematological variables were recorded. For safety assessment, adverse events were monitored. The standard IVIG dosage was approximately 0.35 g/kg body weight every 3-4 weeks. Most patients had normal IgG trough values of >600 mg/dL during the IVIG treatment period. The rate of bacterial infections was reduced from 2.4 per patient in the 3 months before IVIG to 0.7 (0-1.5) per patient per year during IVIG treatment. All patients received concomitant medication, mainly anticancer and anti-anemia therapy (100%). No serious adverse events related to IVIG were observed. The frequency of at least one minor adverse reaction was 1.44% (8/556 infusions). In conclusion, the investigated IVIG preparation was well tolerated and clinically beneficial in reducing the long term rate of serious bacterial infections in patients receiving concomitant treatment for malignant diseases.

Safety of intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis: adverse reactions are associated with immunoglobulin A content

OBJECTIVE

Anecdotal reports have suggested differences in children's tolerance to different intravenous immunoglobulin products; however, there has been little research on this issue. We sought to determine whether different intravenous immunoglobulin products used in the treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis are equally well tolerated by patients and, if not, whether differences in tolerance are linked to immunoglobulin A content.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The intravenous immunoglobulin infusion history (product given and history of adverse events) of patients who were attending the juvenile dermatomyositis clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children from 1986 to 2005 was reviewed. Products with an immunoglobulin A content of >15 microg/mL were classified as "high immunoglobulin A." Data were analyzed by using logistic regression models adjusted for repeated measures.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight patients with juvenile dermatomyositis received 1056 infusions at the Hospital for Sick Children. Adverse events were reported on 92 occasions (9%), affecting 25 patients (66%), a frequency that is higher than that usually reported in adult patients (<1%-5%). Adverse events were reported more often with products that contained high immunoglobulin A (15.0% vs 8.0%). These were accounted for specifically by fever (8.0% vs 1.0%), lethargy or malaise (2.0% vs 0.1%), and nausea or vomiting (5.0% vs 1.0%). Of the possible pharmacologic predictors, including dose, immunoglobulin G concentration, immunoglobulin A level, pH, glycine content, sugar content, sodium content, and osmolality, only immunoglobulin A level was significantly associated with adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Intravenous immunoglobulin was found to be safe and well tolerated by most children with juvenile dermatomyositis. However, in contrast to adult studies, we found that significant differences existed in tolerance to different intravenous immunoglobulin products, most likely because of immunoglobulin A concentration. This study confirms anecdotal reports that a high level of immunoglobulin A in intravenous immunoglobulin is less well tolerated by children and provides evidence that product choice is important in pediatrics.