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Immune treatment helps chronic pain patients

Treating the immune system can dramatically ease the suffering of people with chronic pain from an injured limb or following an amputation.

Immune treatment helps chronic pain patients

Treating the immune system can dramatically ease the suffering of people with chronic pain from an injured limb or following an amputation.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) contains pooled antibodies extracted from the plasma of over one thousand blood donors. A dose of IVIG significantly reduces pain in almost half of patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) - an unexplained chronic condition that can develop after injury to, or loss of, a limb.

IVIG contains human antibodies, and is used to treat immune disorders and some forms of leukaemia. It balances immune systems, strengthening those that are weak and reducing activity in those that are overactive.

Researchers gave a single low-dose transfusion of IVIG to 13 volunteers with pain syndrome and found it significantly eased the pain in nearly 50 percent of them. The pain relief lasted five weeks on average and the treatment had few adverse side effects.

According to the researchers while the patients in the study were given a single, low-dose infusion of IVIG, the treatment could in future be given in higher doses, and repeated to give extra benefit. They were also trying to develop ways to allow patients to administer IVIG treatment in their own homes.

The discovery is expected to have a real impact on the treatment of other unexplained chronic pain conditions. If one pain condition can be effectively treated with an immune drug, it is possible that other types will also respond, though further research is needed.
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