Adverse events of intravenous immunoglobulin infusions: a ten-year retrospective study

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a biological product with adverse effects that appears to vary considerably among different IVIG preparations. Objectives: To describe the adverse events of patients given intravenous immunoglobulin infusions. Method: Data was collected on all patients receiving IVIG infusion at a tertiary hospital from January 2001 to December 2010. Descriptive statistics was used. Results: 77 patients (45 males, 32 females) received IVIG infusions. Thirty two percent (n = 25) experienced adverse reactions. The most common indication was Kawasaki disease (85.7%) followed by immunodeficiency disorders (7.8%). Majority of the patients were children, with the highest frequency of infusions among those aged 2 to 8 years old (52%). 36 infusions were associated with occurrence of adverse effects. Fever was the most common adverse event (n = 11, 30.6%), followed by rash (n = 8, 22.2%) and chills (n = 7, 19.4%). Other adverse events were cyanosis (n = 3, 8.3%), hypotension (n = 2, 5.6%), hypothermia (n = 2, 5.6%), irritability (n = 1, 2.8%), vomiting (n = 1, 2.8%), and chest pain (n = 1, 2.8%). Adverse events were observed to occur most frequently within 1 to 6 h from onset of IVIG infusion. Among the various IVIG preparations available locally (Gammagard, Kiovig, Gamimune, Veno-S & IV Globulin S), Gammagard was the brand frequently used (50.7%). It also has the most number of adverse events, with 17 out of 41 (41.5%) infusions resulting in adverse reactions. Most of the reactions occurred with fast infusion rates, and clinical manifestations subsided when the rate of infusion was reduced. Conclusion: In this study, thirty two percent of patients given IVIG infusions experienced adverse events. Fever was the most common manifestation. Symptoms occurred within 1 to 6 h from onset of infusion, were affected by fast infusion rates, and managed by reducing the rate of infusion.