Can polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin limit cytokine mediated cerebral damage and chronic lung disease in preterm infants?
- 1Department of Paediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77025, USA
- 2Department of Neonatology, Westmead Hospital, and Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia
- 3The Royal infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France, Edinburgh, EH16 4SU, Scotland, UK
- 4National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Health Services, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
- 5Department of Child Health, Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 1AA, UK
- 6Department of Clinical Sciences at North Bristol (Orthopaedic Surgery), University of Bristol, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
- 7NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Correspondence to:
Dr Mohan
Department of Paediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77025, USA; suseela12hotmail.com
- Accepted 8 December 2002
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that inflammatory cytokines may play an important role in cerebral and pulmonary injury, especially in preterm infants. Immunomodulatory agents may help to limit such injury by reducing inflammation. Immunoglobulin has multiple anti-inflammatory properties and can modulate the inflammatory cytokine response. New evidence is required to test the hypotheses that prophylaxis or treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin may limit such inflammatory damage.
- CLD, chronic lung disease
- IL, interleukin
- IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin
- TNF, tumour necrosis factor
