Table 1. Basic characteristics of the included studies.
| Author | Study location | Study design | Number (M/F) | Disease | Age (range or mean ± SD) | Intervention | Outcome | Risk of bias# | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other treatment* | IVIG | ||||||||
| Zeng 2003 (33) | Guangzhou | Case series | 5/5 | SARS | 7.3±5.1 | Antibiotics, oxygen inhalation, symptomatic, comprehensive treatment, etc. | 200–400 mg/kg/d for 3 days | I, II, III | 4/8 |
| Wu 2003 (35) | Guangzhou | Case series | 66 | SARS | 16–62 | Antibiotics, glucocorticoids, interferons, antivirals and oxygen therapy | 5–10 g/d for 3 to 6 days | IV | 4/8 |
| Wang 2004 (34) | Taiwan | Case series | 22 | SARS | 24–87 | Methylprednisolone | 1 g/kg/d for 2 days | V, VI | 5/8 |
| Wu 2005* (36) | Guangzhou | RCT | 15/29 | SARS | Mean: 42/43 | Antibiotics, glucocorticoids | 2.5 mg/d for 2 days–10 mg/d for 13 days | VII, VIII, IX | NA |
| Liu 2020 (31) | Wuhan | Case series | 29/24 | COVID-19 | Mean: 55 | Antibiotics, glucocorticoids, interferons, antivirals and oxygen therapy | NR | X | 5/8 |
| Cao 2020 (32) | Wuhan | Case report | 3 | COVID-19 | 34–56 | NR | 25 g/d for 5 days | XI | NA |
Outcome: I: the duration of fever; II: total peripheral blood WBC (109/L); III: time of the lung lesions subsided obviously; IV: adverse effects; V: WBC counts (109/L); VI: platelet counts (109/L); VII: serum globulin (g/L); VIII: the incidence of nosocomial infection; IX: the risk of death; X: survival probability; XI: the progression of disease cascade. *, prior to IVIG treatment, the patient received other treatment; #, risk of bias in case series. NR, not report; NA, not applicable.