Different dosages of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in treating immune thrombocytopenia with long-term follow-up of three years: Results of a prospective study including 167 cases

This study compared the effects of different dosages of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) against immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). A total of 167 patients, 91 adults and 76 children, with ITP, followed-up for three years in the case-control study, were divided into three subgroups according to the dosages of IVIg administered: group A (0.2 g/kg/day), group B (0.3 g/kg/day) and group C (0.4 g/kg/day). The therapeutic response in 91 adult patients did not differ significantly among the three groups of IVIg dosages (p = 0.459). The response rate of IVIg treatment in the three adult groups was 97.1% for group A, 97.2% for group B and 100% for group C. The mean time for raising platelets to 30 x 10(9)/L in group A was 2.5 days, group B 3.2 days and group C 2.9 days (p = 0.324). The median IVIg consumption in group A was 0.83 g/kg, group B 1.22 g/kg and group C 1.64 g/kg (p < 0.01). Similar results were shown in the children groups. The follow-up results showed no significant difference of clinical outcome between groups A, B and C. In conclusion, low-dose IVIg treatment is shown to be as effective as high-dose regimen without increasing the risk of developing the patients into chronic ITP conditions, suggesting that ITP patients could be treated more cost-effectively by lower conventional dosage of IVIg regimen.