title: Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in a patient with lupus serositis and nephritis.
abstract: The use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been reported as an immunomodulating agent in several autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein we report a SLE patient with severe clinical presentation that included pericarditis, pleural effusion, nephrotic range proteinuria, leukopenia, and lymphopenia. The patient received one course of high-dose IVIg (2.8 g/kg body weight), and within a week of post-IVIg therapy, her condition significantly improved. One-month post-IVIg there were decreased proteinuria, elevated leukocytes and lymphocytes count, decrease in antinuclear and anti-dsDNA antibodies, and disappearance of pericarditis and pleuritis. This case demonstrates the efficacy of IVIg in severe SLE with various clinical manifestations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sherer
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chwalinska-Sadowska
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Langevitz
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D009393:Nephritis / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous