High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Table 1 Patient characteristics

	EGPA patients who received IVIG during initial treatment (n = 10)	EGPA patients who received IVIG on relapse after remission (n = 7)	P
Age (y), mean ± 1 SD	59.1 ± 15.2	47.9 ± 18.3	NS^†
Sex (M/F)	4/6	3/4	NS^*
Age at onset EGPA (y), mean ± 1 SD	57.0 ± 42.6	42.6 ± 20.0	NS^†
At onset of EGPA
WBC (/μL), mean ± 1 SD	13,573 ± 4,647	16,930 ± 6,728	NS^†
Blood eosinophils (/μL), mean ± 1 SD	6,681 ± 3,698	7,363 ± 6,686	NS^†
MPO-ANCA (%) at onset	40	28.6	NS^*
PR3-ANCA (%) at onset	0	0	NS^*
At initial IVIG treatment
WBC (/mL), mean ± 1 SD	9,912 ± 3,339	8,093 ± 2,752	NS^†
Blood eosinophils (/μL), mean ± 1 SD	79.6 ± 69.2	252.3 ± 182.7	<0.05^†
FOXP3⁺CD4⁺ T cells (%), mean ± 1 SD	2.4 ± 1.6	1.3 ± 1.1	<0.05^†
Time from onset of EGPA to initial IVIG treatment (mo), median (range)	3.0 (1–3)	65.0 (10–122)	<0.01^††
Number of IVIG treatments needed to achieve first remission (one/two or more)	3/7	5/2	NS^*
Initial treatments at onset
Prednisolone (mg), mean ± 1 SD	50.5 ± 10.5	48.6 ± 10.7	NS^†
Patients taking an immunosuppressant (%)	90	42.9	< 0.05^*
CYC/AZA/CSA	8/0/1	1/1/1	NS^*
Other treatments at initial IVIG
Prednisolone (mg), mean ± 1 SD	39.5 ± 11.2	12.9 ± 5.5	0.01^†
Patients taking an immunosuppressant (%)	90	71.4	NS^*
CYC/AZA/CSA	8/0/1	1/3/1	0.05^*

AZA, azathioprine; CYC, cyclophosphamide; CSA, cyclosporin; EGPA, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin; MPO-ANCA, myeloperoxidase-specific antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; NS, not significant; PR3, protein 3; WBC, white blood cells.
All values are expressed as means ± 1 SD.
Values of P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
^†Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures between groups.
^††Statistical comparisons made by using Mann–Whitney U-tests between groups.
*Chi-squared testing revealed no significant differences in frequencies between the two groups.

ISSN: 2045-7022