Abstract
Sixty-three patients with hematological malignancy who were admitted into the Department of Internal Medicine, Hirosaki University Hospital, from 1978 to 1979, were investigated. In the siwty-four courses of the concurrent infections gammaglobulin was administered intravenously, courses (59%) the treatment was effective. Gammaglobulin was rather ineffective in sepsis and perianal abscess which were complications of severe underlying diseases. Gammaglobulin was effective in the treatment of the febrile episodes of probable infection without positive blood culture. It was not so effective in eight out of nine elderly patients with pneumonia, which suggested their resistance to infection was low. During the therapeutic course in the hematological malignancies neutropenia was often induced, where gammaglobulin was effective in 57% of severe neutropenia below 100/μl. Lymphocyte count, serum immunoglobulin level and tuberculin reaction were examined, but there was no significant correlation between these data and efficiency of gammaglobulin. Gammaglobulin was more effective when administered within three days from the onset of the febrile episodes. In some cases where there was high risk of infection, preventive administration was given but further investigation is needed to eveluate the effects. No serious side effects of the gammaglobulin preparation were observed.
