Clinical outcomes of immunoglobulin treatment for patients with secondary antibody deficiency: Data from the Ontario immunoglobulin treatment case registry

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing number of cases of secondary antibody deficiency (SAD) and immunoglobulin (Ig) utilization, there is a paucity of data in the literature on clinical and patient-reported outcomes in this population. OBJECTIVE: To describe immunoglobulin utilization patterns, clinical and patient-reported outcomes in patients with SAD on immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT). METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with secondary antibody deficiency enrolled in the Ontario Immunoglobulin Treatment (ONIT) Case Registry from June 2020 to September 2022 was completed. Demographics, comorbidities, indications for immunoglobulin treatment, clinical infections at baseline and post IgRT, and patient-reported outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were 140 patients (58 males; 82 females; median age 68) with SAD during the study period; 131 were on subcutaneous Ig (SCIG) and 9 were on intravenous Ig (IVIG). The most common indication was chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (N = 52). IgRT reduced the average annual number of infections by 82.6%, emergency room (ER) visits by 84.6%, and hospitalizations by 83.3%. Overall, 84.6% of patients reported their health as better compared to before IgRT. Among those patients who switched from IVIG to SCIG (N = 35), 33.3% reported their health as the same, and 62.9% reported their health as better. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that IgRT significantly improved clinical outcomes and patient-reported general health state in patients with SAD. This study also further supports the use of SCIG in patients with SAD.