Like other autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and rheumatoid
arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) can be treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIg, therapy. Of course, with every specific disorder, there are precautions that should be taken in order for the treatment to work most effectively.
Considerations: There are a few considerations when looking for appropriate IVIg products. Patients who suffer from Type 1 DM require products with low IgA, or products containing little osmolarity, sucrose or sodium. Diabetic patients should also be cautious when taking maltose-containing products. With the combination of the two sugars, patients using certain glucose meters may start reading inaccurate levels of their blood sugar.
Whether or not the DM patient suffers from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) should also be taken into account when considering treatment options. CIDP is equally common in Types 1 and 2 DM, and more common in diabetes patients than the general population.
Case Study: An open-label pilot study with 26 DM-CIDP patients was conducted—each patient receiving 400 mg/kg of the IVIg treatment per day for five days. At the end of the procedure, 21 of the 26 patients had clinically significant improvement in neurological deficit. Adverse reactions did occur and are detailed below.
Reactions: Proven side effects with the IVIg treatment in diabetic patients, specifically those suffering from CIDP as well, include possible aggravation of abnormal renal function and precipitation of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and thromboembolic events.
Sources
Use of IVIg Treatment – http://www.medprorx.com
CIDP Explanation and Case Study – http://www.medscape.com/
IVIg Products for Diabetics – http://www.aetna.com/