Intravenous immunoglobulin

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a proposed treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Evidence
There has been inconsistent evidence for the use of IVIG in the treatment of ME or CFS.

The American Journal of Medicine published two studies with different conclusions following each other in the November 1990 issue. The two studies were done in different countries and neither report the case definitions used to identify patients. The study with positive results used a dose twice that as the study with negative results. Following are the abstracts.

Positive results
"METHOD: Forty-nine patients (40 with abnormal cell-mediated immunity) participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of high-dose intravenously administered immunoglobulin G. The patients received three intravenous infusions of a placebo solution or immunoglobulin at a dose of 2 g/kg/month. Assessment of the severity of symptoms and associated disability, both before and after treatment, was completed at detailed interviews by a physician and psychiatrist, who were unaware of the treatment status. In addition, any change in physical symptoms and functional capacity was recorded using visual analogue scales, while changes in psychologic morbidity were assessed using patient-rated indices of depression. Cell-mediated immunity was evaluated by T-cell subset analysis, delayed-type hypersensitivity skin testing, and lymphocyte transformation with phytohemagglutinin. RESULTS: At the interview conducted by the physician 3 months after the final infusion, 10 of 23 (43%) immunoglobulin recipients and three of the 26 (12%) placebo recipients were assessed as having responded with a substantial reduction in their symptoms and recommencement of work, leisure, and social activities. The patients designated as having responded had improvement in physical, psychologic, and immunologic measures (p less than 0.01 for each). CONCLUSION:Immunomodulatory treatment with immunoglobulin is effective in a significant number of patients with CFS, a finding that supports the concept that an immunologic disturbance may be important in the pathogenesis of this disorder."
 * 1990, A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Done by the Department of Infectious Diseases, Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Negative results
"METHODS: Thirty patients with CFS were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of IV IgG. The treatment regimen consisted of IV IgG (1 g/kg) or intravenous placebo (1% albumin solution) administered every 30 days for 6 months. Participants completed a self-assessment form prior to each of the six treatments, which was used to measure severity of symptoms, functional status, and health perceptions. Patients were also asked to report adverse experiences defined as worsening of symptoms occurring within 48 hours of each treatment. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients completed the trial. At baseline, all 28 patients complained of moderate to severe fatigue, and measures of social functioning and health perceptions showed marked impairment. Low levels of IgG1 were found in 12 (42.9%), and 18 (64.3%) had low levels of IgG3. At the end of the study, no significant therapeutic benefit could be detected in terms of symptom amelioration or improvement in functional status, despite restoration of IgG1 levels to a normal range. Major adverse experiences were observed in 20% of both the IV IgG and placebo groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that IV IgG is unlikely to be of clinical benefit in CFS.
 * 1990, A controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin G in chronic fatigue syndrome. Done by the Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Risks & safety
One case study recorded a paradoxical effect where IVIG administration increased the replication of Parvovirus B19, a pathogen associated with CFS.

List of studies

 * Paradoxical response to intravenous immunoglobulin in a case of Parvovirus B19-associated chronic fatigue syndrome, Attard, Luciano et al.Journal of Clinical Virology, Volume 62 , 54 - 57