Treatment of rheumatic carditis with intravenous gammaglobulin: is there a beneficial effect?

Rheumatic carditis is a major manifestation of acute rheumatic fever. Conventional therapy includes the use of salicylates and steroids. To date, however, such therapy has not been proven to have a clear benefit in reducing valvar heart disease. We report the use of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin in two chidlren with acute rheumatic carditis in whom we have been able to document the beneficial effect.