PROSPECTIVE, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, MULTICENTER STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF HIGH-DOSE, INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SEVERE BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

Objective In order to study the effect of high-dose, intravenous immun oglobulin (IVIG) in severe childhood asthma, we investigated 31 childr en and adolescents (15 girls, 16 boys) aged 9-22 years (median age of 14 years) suffering from severe bronchial asthma. Methods In a prospec tive, double-blind fashion, patients received either four doses of IVI G (1 g/kg body weight) or identical doses of intravenous human serum a lbumin. The first two doses were given on two consecutive days, follow ed by two further doses at 4 week intervals. Results There was no stat istical difference in the actively treated group when compared with th e placebo group in symptom-score, bronchial hyperreactivity or peak-fl ow-variability. There was a trend for fewer total days of upper respir atory tract infections and also symptom-scores in the IVIG group but t hese did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Our data indic ate that treatment with IVIG in asthmatic children did not show a sign ificant reduction in the incidence of upper respiratory tract infectio ns, but the patients who did have upper respiratory infections in the IVIG-group appear to have less protracted infections. Severity and bro nchial hyperreactivity do not seem to be affected by the treatment as performed in our study.