Subcutaneous immunoglobulin administration: an alternative to intravenous infusion as adjuvant treatment for dermatomyositis?

Clin Rheumatol. 2008 May 8. [Epub ahead of print]

Schleinitz N, Jean E, Benarous L, Mazodier K, Figarella-Branger D, Bernit E, Veit V, Kaplanski G, Harle JR.

Department of Internal Medicine, CHU Conception, AP-HM, 13385, Marseille Cedex, France, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Monthly high-dose intravenous administration of human polyclonal immunoglobulins (IVIG) has been shown to be effective as an adjuvant treatment for dermatomyositis. We report a patient with dermatomyositis treated with high doses of immunoglobulins by subcutaneous infusion (SCIG). SCIG was used because of the lack of peripheral and central vein access to continue effective IVIG therapy. The treatment was administered at home, was well tolerated, and was associated to the stabilization of the disease after a 1-year follow-up. Thus, our report suggests that SCIG could be an alternative to IVIG in the treatment of dermatomyositis.