Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Pulmonary Embolism As An Adverse Drug Event Of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy, Katasha S. Butler, Deborah S. Zeitlin

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

TO THE EDITOR: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy has gained popularity for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases (i.e., myasthenia gravis, inflammatory myopathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy), although adverse events are associated with high-dose IVIG infusions.^1,2 Common adverse reactions to IVIG therapy are anxiety, headache, fever, chills, chest pain, dyspnea, nausea, and abdominal pain.³ More serious adverse events include anaphylaxis, hemolytic anemia, hepatitis C, and thrombosis.³ Studies have shown documented effects of IVIG on blood rheology. It increases plasma viscosity in a dose-related response and may also activate platelets.^2–4 High-dose IVIG therapy is approximately 24–54 g/d.⁴