Prophylaxis against infections with low-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Results of a crossover study

Divisione di Ematologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Pugliese-Ciaccio, Catanzaro, Italy. BACKGROUND. In a recently reported study, low doses of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) were shown to be as effective as high doses in protecting chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients against infections, although a control group was not included. With this background we started a crossover study of low-dose IVIG prophylaxis aimed at investigating its superiority over empirical treatment of infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Forty-two CLL patients with hypogammaglobulinemia (IgG