5th International symposium on IVIG: IVIG in the third millenium

[Guest guest]

5th International symposium on IVIG

IVIG in the third millenium

September 25-27, 2003, Interlaken, Switzerland

Reported by

Yehuda Shoenfeld, MD, FRCP (Hon)

Department of Medicine B and Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba

Medical Center,Tel-Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine,

Incumbent of the Schwarz-Kipp Chair for Research of Autoimmune

Diseases, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

published 28 November, 2003

Introduction

This meeting attended by 350 clinicians and researchers, was organized

by ZLB, the company first to develop the IVIG Sandoglobulin in Bern /

Basel, Switzerland. This IVIG was given by P. Imbac in 1982 to a patient

with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (thrombocytopenia with hypo-gamma

globulinemia). The observed incidental increase in the platelets number

led to the implantation of this therapy in ITP (Idiopathatic

Thrombocytopenic Purpura). The cure of many of the patients in response

to the IVIG expanded the use of IVIG to other autoimmune conditions. In

this meeting close to 100 abstracts were presented, many of them

detailing the experience of IVIG in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SLE,

Vasculitis, Systemic Sclerosis [syS], and dermato-polymyositis). Our aim

is to summarize these presentations, but also to refer both to novel

mechanisms as well as to complications alluded to this therapy.

For the entire report, please see:

http://www.rheuma21st.com/archives/ivig_interlaken_092003.html

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org