ABSTRACT
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is prepared from large pools of plasma, typically from more than 3000 healthy blood donors. The first description of the treatment of individuals with an autoimmune disease with IVIG was provided by Imbach in 1981; he found that high-dose administration of IVIG promoted a rapid recovery of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in children. Since this landmark discovery, IVIG has also been found to have beneficial effects in many autoimmune states, including some patients with collagen vascular and heart diseases.
