Use of intravenous immune globulin in pregnant women with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

ABSTRACT

Two patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia were treated with immune serum globulin during pregnancy. An intravenous immune serum globulin preparation was used in the last trimester of pregnancy. Both patients tolerated this preparation well and had an uneventful pregnancy. The two term newborns were healthy and had cord blood IgG levels likely to be the result of transplacental transfer of the intravenous immune serum globulin preparation. During pregnancy there is an increase in the IgG distribution space due to plasma volume expansion. Therefore, pregnancy is an indication for these immune serum globulin preparations that can be administered at high doses intravenously in order to confer adequate protection to the mother and the newborn.