A Retrospective Analysis of the Safety Profile of Intravenous Immunoglobulin in 1176 Patients Receiving Home Infusion Therapy.

OBJECTIVES

This analysis assessed the safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in the treatment of patients with neuroimmunological and immunological disorders in a home-based setting.

METHODS

Adverse reactions (ARs) were assessed in a retrospective review of 1176 patients receiving 28,677 home-based IVIg infusions between 1996 and 2013.

RESULTS

Of 1176 patients, 648 (55.1%) experienced IVIg-related ARs; 536 (45.6%) were mild, 78 (6.6%) moderate, and 34 (2.9%) severe. Thirty-seven (3.1%) patients were hospitalized because of ARs; of these, headache was most common (51.4%). Mean number of ARs per patient increased from 1.4 (low dose) to 3.6 (high dose). Incidence of ARs increased from 41% in the first 5-year moving average in 2003 to 65% in 2008. The number of ARs correlated with the number of infusions (ρ = 0.24; P < 0.001) and the average IVIg dose (ρ = 0.10; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Low- and high-dose IVIg were safe and well tolerated with a few serious ARs in patients with neuroimmunological and immunological disorders.