Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics
| IVIg withdrawal group (29) | IVIg continuation group (31) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex, male | 21 (72%) | 21 (68%) |
| Age [mean ± SD, (range)] | 60.1 (13.54, 21–86) | 57.7 (15.97, 29–81) |
| CIDP | ||
| Typical | 25 (86%) | 22 (71%) |
| Atypical | 4 (14%) | 9 (29%) |
| Asymmetric CIDP | 2 (7%) | 4 (13%) |
| Pure motor/sensory | 2 (7%) | 5 (16%) |
| Disease duration in months (median, range) | 64 (7–586) | 50 (9–299) |
| Wear-off symptoms | 6 (21%) | 9 (29%) |
| MRC sum score (median, range) | 58 (38–60) | 60 (49–60) |
| Grip strength [mean ± SD, (range)] | 84kPa (SD 34.37; 18–145) | 79kPa (SD 28.29; 9–155) |
| Duration of IVIg treatment | ||
| 6–12 months | 15 (52%) | 16 (51%) |
| >12 months | 14 (48%) | 15 (49%) |
| Patients with previous withdrawal attempts | 11 (38%) | 15 (54%) |
| IVIg interval | ||
| 2 weeks | 3 (10%) | 1 (3%) |
| 3 weeks | 16 (55%) | 16 (52%) |
| 4 weeks | 9 (31%) | 9 (29%) |
| 5 weeks | – | 3 (10%) |
| 6 weeks | 1 (3%) | 2 (6%) |
| IVIg dose per infusion (median, range) | 45 g (10–80) | 40 g (10–80) |
| IVIg brand | ||
| Nanogam® | 18 (62%) | 16 (52%) |
| Kiovig® | 10 (35%) | 14 (45%) |
| Privigen® | 1 (3%) | 0 |
| Gamunex® | 0 | 1 (3%) |
| Immunosuppressive treatment besides IVIga | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) |
| Serum IgG level change after last regular IVIg infusionb (mean ± SD) | 13.19 g/l (SD 7.99) | 12.80 g/l (SD 5.78) |
| iRODS (mean ± SD) logits | 3.80 (SD 2.86) | 4.66 (SD 2.29) |
a
Daily oral prednisone 5 mg for rheumatic polymyalgia.
b
Serum was collected before and after IVIg treatment at the day of the treatment.