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%.