Some doctors would say that one of the secrets they don’t tell a lot of people is that, generally, most patients are better the next day after a good night’s sleep. The reason behind that secret is that the immune system is the engine that heals everything in the human body. Strong immune systems can fight off germs, viruses, and diseases. But when your immune system is weak, you can be vulnerable to various kinds of illnesses and diseases and this may be where immunoglobulin therapy may work.

Medical innovations have come up with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy to boost the immune system by infusing antibodies to a patient. The IVIg matures in the bone marrow and corrects the deficiency in a person’s immune system. Visit this URL and other similar sites if you want to know more information about IVIg therapy. Here’s a bit of discussion about immunoglobulin therapy and the instances when they can become needed.

When Is It Needed

The immune system is the part of the human body tasked to combat infections that are usually caused by germs or bacteria. It’s basically in charge of shielding you against all sorts of attacks on your health. A normal human body is usually able to make a sufficient number of antibodies to fight off the germs and manage other causes of infection. But some people get sick and this weakens their immune system while their body is burdened with the task of fighting off the threats.

There are also patients whose immune systems suffer from disorders or other deficiencies. Their disorders and deficiencies weaken and sometimes even impair their body’s ability to handle their diseases and sicknesses. They’re also the ones more vulnerable to getting sick with various diseases. The effect is that they’re almost always sick and they often feel weak.

Giving IVIg therapy is usually needed to treat people who have immune system deficiencies or disorders. Some patients take it with their other medications such as immunosuppressants and other medicines. There are also patients who are administered IVIg in lieu of their other medicines such as corticosteroids and other biologic medications.

IVIg therapy can be helpful for people who have lupus or other autoimmune diseases. The treatment strengthens the ability of the body to cope and heal the immune system by producing more red blood cells. Patients who don’t have a sufficient red blood cell count often feel tired. Some of them even develop anemia. The IVIg infusion functions to protect the red blood cells from being destroyed by the white blood cells.

When Is IVIg Used

One of the main therapeutic uses of IVIg is that it can provide some therapy to people to cope with infections and heal even though their immune systems have already been weakened by diseases.

Here are some of the various diseases that can be treated by intravenous IVIg:

  • Thrombocytopenia and other deficiencies of the immune system
  • Patients who’ve undergone bone marrow transplant so as to prevent or avoid post-surgery infections
  • Multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and other neurological diseases
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
  • Lupus
  • Myositis
  • Kawasaki disease
  • Other diseases which are rarely detected

Where Does It Come From

Intravenous immunoglobulin is taken from human plasma. It takes thousands of human plasma donations to come up with IVIg that can be used for therapy. The plasma donors are required to go through a thorough screening process to make sure their blood donations don’t contain any viruses or diseases that could be transmitted through blood transfusion.

The plasma taken from their blood donations undergo further testing and treatment to make sure it doesn’t contain any pathogens. The pooling process is designed in such a way that the plasma donations of each individual go through testing and treatment before being combined with the plasma donations of other individuals. Manufactured IVIg products have been certified safe by medical institutions.

Tolerance For Antibodies And Side Effects

Each person has a different tolerance for the antibodies infused during IVIg therapy. As a result, IVIg therapy can have different effects in different patients. This is partly due to the various physiological and genetic differences among individuals. Another reason is that IVIg manufacturers use different methods in extracting antibodies from plasma donations.

Antibodies in general can cause reactions once infused into a person’s body. Some of these reactions and side effects can be severe, especially if the infusions aren’t timed properly.

Conclusion

Modern medical innovation has been able to harness the antibodies from human plasma for therapeutic use. IVIg therapy has been proven to be quite effective in addressing deficiencies in a person’s immune system. The antibodies infused into the immune system help build up the body’s resistance and defenses against various kinds of diseases and illnesses. They’re helpful in strengthening a person’s immune system and boosting a person’s overall health.