HIGH-DOSE INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN IN A DULT STILLS DISEASE

In most cases, the treatment of adult's Still disease presents difficu lties, in view of its undesirable side-effects. For this reason we, ma de an open trial of the the effects of high-dose high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg), a therapy with low iatrogen risk, and whose e ffectiveness in the treatment of other multisystemic diseases has been acknowledged. Seven patients suffering from adult Still's disease wer e given between one and eight IVIg infusions with a dose of 1 g/kg/day for two consecutive days. All seven responded positively, with clinic al improvement. It lasted between I and 90 days in three patients, who subsequently relapsed; it has been continuing for an average of 13 mo nths (2 to 24 months) in the other four patients. There were no clinic al features making it possible to distinguish, after the trial the pat ients who responded positively to intravenous immunoglobulins. This da ta, which needs to be confirmed with a controlled trial, provides hope of improved therapy for the one half of patients suffering from adult Still's disease who respond positively to intravenous immunoglobulins .