Dramatic responses to intravenous immunoglobulin in vasculitis*

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Abstract
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been successfully used to treat autoimmune diseases. We report dramatic, rapid and sustained responses to its use in two cases of vasculitis: a patient with primary angitis of the central nervous system: and a patient with hepatitis-B-antigen-related polyarteritis nodosa, who failed treatment with corticosteroids. Improvement in gait and a marked decrease in serum creatinine, respectively, were observed within 24 h of the first dose of IVIG. Both patients remained stable for several months. We conclude that IVIG should be considered in patients with vasculitis who fail corticosteroids, or when a rapid response is required.