Intravenous immune globulin treatment of pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis

The effect of intravenously administered immune globulin (IVIG) on patients with cystic fibrosis with an acute exacerbation of pulmonary infection was evaluated in a double-blind study. Patients at least 12 years of age, with chronic respiratory tract colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and hospitalized with a reduction in pulmonary function, were randomly assigned to receive 20% dextrose (control subjects: n=9) or 100 mg/kg IVIG (Gamimune) (experimental subjects: n=8) on days 1, 2, and 3; all patients received intravenous antibiotics and chest physiotherapy. There were no differences between groups on admission; patients had moderate to severe disease as measured by Shwachman-Kulczycki scores and pulmonary function tests. Both groups improved clinically. The IVIG treatment was associated with significant increases in forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( p