Tolerance of Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with primary hypogammaglobulinaemia: report of 1235 infusions

A total of 1235 immunoglobulin infusions were carried out as replacement therapy in 37 patients suffering from primary hypogammaglobulinaemia from 1983 to 1987, using Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) IV IgG, manufactured by cold ethanol fractionation of plasma, ultrafiltration and mild pepsin proteolysis at pH4. Ten patients experienced adverse reactions during 34 infusions (2.8% of all infusions) and all but five were mild; 21 (62%) of the adverse reactions were encountered in the patients' first five infusions. A maximum immunoglobulin infusion rate of 5 mg/kg/min was tolerated without adverse reaction.