Using immunoglobulins in muscular disease treatment.

BACKGROUND

Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) have been proven in the past two decades to be potent immunomodulators. This led to the licensing and recommendation of IVIg as first-line treatment for Kawasaki disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To review the evidence and indications for the use of IVIg in the treatment of muscular diseases.

METHODS

Literature search in PubMed and of further literature cited in these articles.

RESULTS/

CONCLUSION

There are small randomised controlled trials that demonstrate the efficacy of IVIg in dermatomyositis, myasthenic crisis, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome and stiff-person syndrome. However, since there are also alternative treatments IVIgs are mostly used in these diseases as alternatives when other therapeutic approaches have failed.