The Effect of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Combined with Corticosteroid on the Progression of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Meta-Analysis

Background Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment is commonly used to treat Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) with controversial therapeutic effect. Methods We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis through combining the published eligible studies to evaluate the effectiveness of IVIG on SJS and TEN treatment. Results A total of 26 studies were selected from public available databases. The combination of IVIG and corticosteroid markedly reduced the recovery time (by 1.63 days, 95% CI: 0.83–2.43, P < 0.001), compared with solo corticosteroid group. The favorable effects were greater in Asian (2.19, 95% CI: 1.41–2.97, P < 0.001), TEN (2.56, 95% CI: 0.35–4.77, P = 0.023) and high-dose IVIG treated individuals (1.78, 95% CI: 0.42–3.14, P = 0.010). The hospitalization length reduced by 3.19 days (95% CI: 0.08–6.30, P = 0.045), though the outcome was proven to be unstable. We found heterogeneities, which sources were probably regional factors. Besides, IVIG was inclined to decrease SJS/TEN mortality (SMR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.66–1.08, P = 0.178). This impact was possibly more profound when patients were treated with high dose IVIG (SMR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.50–1.08, P = 0.116), or when patients were diagnosed as TEN (SMR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.45–1.01, P = 0.058). Conclusions Our current meta-analysis suggests that IVIG combined with corticosteroid could reduce recovery time for SJS and TEN. This effect is greater among Asian patients. Whereas, its impact on reducing mortality is not significant.