intravenous immunoglobulin


intravenous immunoglobulin

Abbreviation: IVIG
A solution containing concentrated human immunoglobulins (antibodies), primarily IgG. IVIG has numerous uses in health care, including as replacement therapy for patients with primary immune deficiencies; as a treatment for those with Kawasaki disease, bullous pemphigoid, Guillain-Barré syndrome, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and other immune-mediated illnesses; and as a means of providing patients with passive immunity against infectious diseases. See also: immunoglobulin