Immunoglobulin Therapy for the Pneumonia Patient of the Aged

In the old-aged, pneumonia is often based on organic lesions of the lung itself, and decrease in general resistance is often observed as a background. Therefore pneumonia causes a high mortality in the old-aged in spite of the development of antibiotics in recent years. Among the patients aged over 60 years with senili pneumonia who had been treated with combination of immunoglobulin (“venilon”, a sulfated immunoglobulin preparation) plus antibiotic therapy, we selected retrospectively the cases where the results of laboratory examinations including X-ray observation of the chest and bacteriological examination of the sputum, and the clinical course had been obviously known, and we evaluated the utility of the concommitant use of immunoglobulin preparation and antibiotics in these cases. For this study, a committee was composed of 7 physicians. The evaluation varied individually according to different members of the committee, but their opinions agreed almost unaimously for 9 cases. Although there are some different opinions concerning the efficacy of combination of immunoglobulin with antibiotics, the present study revealed the result considered “Certainly effective” in some cases. It is said that the efficacy of immunoglobulin preparation originates from a specific antibody contained in it. However, further investigation will be necessary to clear its mechanism.