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IVIg Therapy in the COVID-19 (coronavirus) Era
Intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is the most widely employed immune modulating agent for autoimmune disorders. It treats post-infectious disorders where the immune system goes awry, causing injury to organs of the body due to post-infectious and non-infectious autoimmunity. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable to autoimmune diseases and IVIg therapy. IVIg has a high benefit to risk ratio due to its exceptional efficacy and few risks.
Three questions arise in the COVID-19 era:
Is there a risk to receiving IVIg therapy at home?
There is no risk of a nurse in your home or the drug itself. There is no change in the careful process of manufacturing IVIg nor is there risk of contamination.
Is there a role for IVIg therapy in treating possible or definite patients with COVID-19 exposure?
IVIg therapy has the potential to boost immunity and improve clinical outcome after exposure to COVID-19 and to shorten the duration and severity of the illness.
Is there are form of IVIg therapy used to treat COVID-19 exposure?
This is still experimental and requires a research laboratory and convalescent serum from a recovered patient.