Intravenously administered gamma-globulin for the treatment of reactive hemaphagocytic syndrome: a multicentric study to assess efficacy.

Reactive hemophagocytic syndrome is characterized by systemic proliferation and activation of benign hemophagocytic cells of the monocyte-macrophage l ineage. Treatment should be directed to the etiology, but successful treatm ent with high-dose gamma-globulin has been reported, especially in viral-as sociated hemophagocytic syndrome. We report 17 patients, of which 9 had inf ection-associated hemophagocytic syndrome, all treated with high-dose gamma -globulin. High-dose gamma-globulins appear to be more effective in infecti on-associated hemophagocytic syndrome, with a mean dose of 1.6gm/kg for one or two cycles, A multicentric randomized study is required to evaluate hig h-dose gamma-globulin in the treatment of reactive hemophagocytic syndrome.