Complications and Side Effects
Although routine use of IVIG is common practice, sometimes for long term treatments, and is considered safe, complications of IVIG therapy are known and include:
- headache
- dermatitis - usually peeling of the skin of the palms and soles.
- infection (such as HIV or viral hepatitis) by contaminated blood product; there is also an as of yet unknown risk of contracting variant CJD (vCJD) however the process whereby the product is extracted shows that the contaminants are usually not present in the product.
- pulmonary edema from fluid overload, due to the high colloid oncotic pressure of IVIG
- allergic/anaphylactic reactions; for example, anaphylactic shock, especially in IgA deficient patients, who by definition can still produce IgG antibodies (IgA deficient patients are more likely to produce IgG against the IVIG administration than normal patients).
- damage such as hepatitis caused directly by antibodies contained in the pooled IVIG.
- acute kidney injury
- venous thrombosis
- aseptic meningitis
Read more about this topic: Intravenous Immunoglobulin
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