Subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusion to treat infants and toddlers with antibody deficiencies.

摘要

IgG replacement in children with primary or secondary antibody deficiencies (ADs) clearly prevents recurrent bacterial infections, particularly in the respiratory tract. Although the efficacy and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement have been well documented, intravenous access, central catheter infections, and systemic untoward effects associated with IVIG can be especially problematic in infants and toddlers with ADs. Although subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) therapy has gained wider acceptance in the United States, parents of infants and toddlers with ADs are rarely offered SCIG as an alternative to IVIG, and infants younger than 2 years are excluded from pharmaceutical clinical trials of new SCIG preparations, even though SCIG has successfully been given in children and adults since the 1970s.