Key result
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) had a positive pain-reducing effect in patients with postpolio syndrome in 4 out of 5 reviewed studies.
Why the study?
Many patients with postpolio syndrome experience pain, motivating an investigation into the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin for managing their pain.
Does intravenous immunoglobulin reduce pain severity in patients with postpolio syndrome?
Does intravenous immunoglobulin reduce pain severity in patients with postpolio syndrome?
Intravenous immunoglobulin may be a beneficial option for managing pain and potentially improving muscle strength or function in patients with postpolio syndrome.
IVIG may aid postpolio pain; hypothesis-generating and requires RCTs before practice change.
Objective: Many patients with postpolio syndrome (PPS) experience pain. In this study, we aimed to review previous studies to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for managing pain in patients with PPS. We performed a narrative review. Methods: In PubMed, we searched for the keywords ((Immunoglobulin OR IVIG) AND (poliomyelitis OR poliomyelitis syndrome)). We included articles in which IVIG was infused in patients with PPS and pain severity was measured before and after treatment. Results: In the results, five articles (4 randomized controlled trials and 1 prospective observational study) were included in this review. Four of the studies reported that IVIG had a positive pain-reducing effect in patients with PPS. In addition, 4 studies evaluated the outcomes related to muscle strength and function. Of these studies, 3 showed some improvement in measurements for muscle strength and function. Conclusion: In conclusion, IVIG might be one of the beneficial options for managing pain in PPS. Pain reduction might be responsible for the improvement of muscle strength or function. To confirm the benefits of IVIG in reducing pain, more high-quality studies are required.
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Chang et al. (2021) conducted a review in Postpolio syndrome (PPS). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was evaluated on Pain severity. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) had a positive pain-reducing effect in patients with postpolio syndrome in 4 out of 5 reviewed studies.
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