Valeria Morales-Ruiz1, Víctor Hugo Juárez-Vaquera2, Marcos Rosetti-Sciutto3, Fausto Sánchez-Muñoz4, Laura Adalid-Peralta5. 1. Unidad Periférica para el Estudio de la Neuroinflamación en Patologías Neurológicas del Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de la UNAM en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Insurgentes Sur 3877, Col. La Fama, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico; Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico. 2. Unidad Periférica para el Estudio de la Neuroinflamación en Patologías Neurológicas del Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de la UNAM en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Insurgentes Sur 3877, Col. La Fama, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico. 3. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico; Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, México-Xochimilco 101, Col. Huipulco, Ciudad de México 14370, Mexico. 4. Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano 1, Col. Belisario Domínguez Secc. 16, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico. 5. Unidad Periférica para el Estudio de la Neuroinflamación en Patologías Neurológicas del Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de la UNAM en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Insurgentes Sur 3877, Col. La Fama, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico; Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Insurgentes Sur 3877, Col. La Fama, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico. Electronic address: adalid.laura@yahoo.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for several common autoimmune neurological diseases. Other therapeutic approaches, including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasmapheresis, have shown mixed results in patient improvement. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of IVIg administration with that of corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, and placebo in autoimmune neurological diseases like Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis. METHODS: A systematic review was performed on the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane. Controlled, randomized studies comparing the efficacy of IVIg with placebo, plasmapheresis, and/or glucocorticoid administration were selected. Only studies reporting the number of patients who improved after treatment were included, irrespective of language or publication year. In total, 23 reports were included in the meta-analysis study. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of IVIg administration on patient improvement over placebo (OR = 2.79, CI [95%] = 1.40-5.55, P = 0.01). Meanwhile, IVIg administration showed virtually identical effects to plasmapheresis (OR = 0.83, CI [95%] = 0.45-1.55, P < 0.01). Finally, no significant differences were found in the efficacy of IVIg and glucocorticoid administration (OR = 0.98, Cl [95%] = 0.58-1.68, P = 0.13). CONCLUSION: IVIg can be regarded as a viable therapeutic approach, either as a first- or second-line therapy, and as an adjuvant therapy for autoimmune neurological diseases.
BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for several common autoimmune neurological diseases. Other therapeutic approaches, including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasmapheresis, have shown mixed results in patient improvement. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of IVIg administration with that of corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, and placebo in autoimmune neurological diseases like Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis. METHODS: A systematic review was performed on the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane. Controlled, randomized studies comparing the efficacy of IVIg with placebo, plasmapheresis, and/or glucocorticoid administration were selected. Only studies reporting the number of patients who improved after treatment were included, irrespective of language or publication year. In total, 23 reports were included in the meta-analysis study. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of IVIg administration on patient improvement over placebo (OR = 2.79, CI [95%] = 1.40-5.55, P = 0.01). Meanwhile, IVIg administration showed virtually identical effects to plasmapheresis (OR = 0.83, CI [95%] = 0.45-1.55, P < 0.01). Finally, no significant differences were found in the efficacy of IVIg and glucocorticoid administration (OR = 0.98, Cl [95%] = 0.58-1.68, P = 0.13). CONCLUSION: IVIg can be regarded as a viable therapeutic approach, either as a first- or second-line therapy, and as an adjuvant therapy for autoimmune neurological diseases.