Adverse events of intravenous immunoglobulin infusions: a ten-year retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a biological product with adverse effects that appears to vary considerably among different IVIG preparations. OBJECTIVES: To describe the adverse events of patients given intravenous immunoglobulin infusions. METHOD: Data was collected on all patients receiving IVIG infusion at a tertiary hospital from January 2001 to December 2010. Descriptive statistics was used. RESULTS: 77 patients (45 males, 32 females) received IVIG infusions. Thirty two percent (n = 25) experienced adverse reactions. The most common indication was Kawasaki disease (85.7%) followed by immunodeficiency disorders (7.8%). Majority of the patients were children, with the highest frequency of infusions among those aged 2 to 8 years old (52%). 36 infusions were associated with occurrence of adverse effects. Fever was the most common adverse event (n = 11, 30.6%), followed by rash (n = 8, 22.2%) and chills (n = 7, 19.4%). Other adverse events were cyanosis (n = 3, 8.3%), hypotension (n = 2, 5.6%), hypothermia (n = 2, 5.6%), irritability (n = 1, 2.8%), vomiting (n = 1, 2.8%), and chest pain (n = 1, 2.8%). Adverse events were observed to occur most frequently within 1 to 6 h from onset of IVIG infusion. Among the various IVIG preparations available locally (Gammagard, Kiovig, Gamimune, Veno-S & IV Globulin S), Gammagard was the brand frequently used (50.7%). It also has the most number of adverse events, with 17 out of 41 (41.5%) infusions resulting in adverse reactions. Most of the reactions occurred with fast infusion rates, and clinical manifestations subsided when the rate of infusion was reduced. CONCLUSION: In this study, thirty two percent of patients given IVIG infusions experienced adverse events. Fever was the most common manifestation. Symptoms occurred within 1 to 6 h from onset of infusion, were affected by fast infusion rates, and managed by reducing the rate of infusion.

Prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Filipino adults based on the National Nutrition and Health Survey 2008

BACKGROUND: There has been no documented data on the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among Filipino adults. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis among adults in the Philippines. METHODS: Using a multi-staged cluster sampling methodology, this study evaluated 7,202 adults from 3,744 households, 79 provinces and 17 regions. A pre-validated written questionnaire for allergic rhinitis based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies of Childhood was used as the survey instrument. RESULTS: The response rate obtained from the interview was 94.1%. The overall prevalence of nose symptoms in the past 12 months was 20% while prevalence of nose symptoms at any time in the past was 23.8%. The proportion among both sexes was similar. The prevalence was highest among the respondents 40-49 years old. The overall prevalence of nose and eye symptoms for the past twelve months was 14.0%. The prevalence of respondents who reported presence of nose problems for the past twelve months was similar across the 12 months of the year with highest rates noted in the months of June and May. Respondents from the rural area (22.1%) reported a higher prevalence of nose symptoms for the past twelve months compared to respondents from urban area (18%). There was no significant difference in prevalence of nose symptoms among residents living in coastal and/or inland areas. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of allergic rhinitis in the Philippines based on the 2008 National Nutrition and Health Survey is 20.0%.