A new retrospective study from a tertiary pediatric epilepsy center finds that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may significantly reduce seizures in some children with drug-resistant epilepsy.
In the study of 60 children aged 2 to 18 with refractory seizures who received IVIG for at least one year, 36.7% achieved at least a 50% reduction in seizure frequency at the one-year mark. Among responders, eight children-representing 36.4%-achieved complete seizure freedom.
The clearest benefit was seen in patients with generalized seizures, where the reduction reached statistical significance. Importantly, the improvement could not be attributed to changes in other antiseizure medications, suggesting IVIG itself may have played a direct role.
Patients with autoimmune encephalitis were excluded, allowing researchers to assess IVIG in a broader population of pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy rather than a clearly autoimmune cohort. Immune dysfunction and inflammation have been linked to drug-resistant epilepsy, making immunomodulatory therapies like IVIG an area of growing interest.
The study authors caution that the mechanism of benefit remains unclear, and that response may depend on seizure type. They emphasize the need for prospective studies to clarify patient selection, timing, and safety. For now, IVIG continues to warrant investigation as an adjunctive therapy for carefully selected children.