Immunoglobulin Therapy

For patients currently on dialysis due to kidney transplant rejection there is new hope. Currently there are 70,000 Americans waiting for a kidney transplant. As many as a third of them are on dialysis because they have too high a level of anti-donor antibodies. Lakeisha Hall, 25, has been on dialysis since she was told she was losing functions in her kidneys at age 15. Lakeisha’s sister, mother and brother have all donated kidneys to Lakeisha; each transplant ends in ultimate rejection, building up more and more anti-donor antibodies.

A new therapy, intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG), is proving to fight back this rejection, however. The treatment is given during two, four-hour dialysis treatments. The patients are given a mixture of immunoglobulins in blood. These immunoglobulins block antibodies from attacking the donated kidney.

The IVIG treatment allowed Lakeisha to finally go on a long-awaited vacation. She is now doing well and back at work in Louisiana.

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