Immunoglobulin Therapy

Immunoglobulins are derived from human donor plasma and used to treat an array of disorders, including primary and secondary immune deficiency states and various autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Human immunoglobulin therapy provides a broad spectrum of opsonizing and neutralizing immunoglobulin G antibodies against a wide variety of bacterial and viral antigens. This evidence review addresses the use of human immunoglobulin therapy for preventing and/or treating disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings. Both intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusion and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) infusion are addressed. However, the review only considers nonspecific pooled preparations of IVIG; it does not consider other preparations used for passive immunization to specific antigens.