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Show Treatment reduces steroid side effects For years, doctors have relied upon steroids to help children with severe asthma stay alive, but steroids have numerous side effects including cataracts, diabetes and osteoporosis. A new study reveals a breakthrough in treatment that reduces steroid side effects and use. The breakthrough is anticipated to have a major effect on the quality of life of asthmatics. Doctors at the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine found that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) from normal donors do-nors caused a dramatic reduction in the need for steroids in the eight children participating in the study. Immunoglobulin is the portion of blood serum that contains antibodies. In a paper published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Drs. Bruce Mazer and Erwin Getfand said that on average, IVIG reduced the need for steroids by two-thirds. The patients also improved their performance on breathing tests and had smaller reactions reac-tions to allergy skin tests. "The patients were enrolled in the study after numerous attempts had been made to reduce their steroid doses by other means," Gelfand said. "The children received IVIG injections every four weeks over a six-month period. Improvement began soon after the first dose was administered." Just why the treatment works isn't clear. "IVIG has been used for years in the treatment of a variety of immune system disorders, but we really don't know how it works," Gelfand said. "What we do know is that this treatment could enhance the quality of life of asthma patients around the world." |