The role of intravenous immunoglobulin preparations in the treatment of systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Scleroderma is progressive autoimmune disease associated with severe disability. The major underlying pathological process in scleroderma is progressive development of fibrous tissue and obliteration of the microvasculature. Currently, there are no medical products for the treatment of scleroderma that provide both sufficient immunosuppression and low-risk side safety profile with negligible side effects. There are a large number of experimental data showing that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has multiple clinical and morphological effects. On the other hand, some authors report good effect of intravenous immune globulins in patients with scleroderma. The less frequent side effects of IVIG in doses below or equal to 2g/kg/month divided in 5 consecutive days make IVIG a promising treatment of choice in scleroderma. Copyright © 2011 Marta Baleva and Krasimir Nikolov.