Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Pilot Study of the Use of Intravenous Immune Globulin in Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy
Brief Summary:
This study will evaluate patients with Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy (HIBM) and examine the effects of immune globulin (IG) treatment on muscle and muscle function. HIBM is a progressive neuromuscular disease that begins in early adulthood, primarily affecting limb muscles. It results from mutations of the gene that is responsible for producing sialic acid, a sugar normally found on the surface of certain proteins, including alpha-dystroglycan, which is involved in muscle function. Some patients with HIBM have decreased sialic acid on the alpha-dystroglycan protein, which may be the cause of their muscle weakness. IG is a protein in the blood that carries a large amount of sialic acid. This study will administer IG to patients with HIBM and determine if the sialic acid in IG is taken up by muscle cells in these patients and if it can restore some of their muscle function.
Four patients with HIBM will be admitted to this study at the NIH Clinical Center for evaluation and IG treatment. The evaluation lasts about 1 month. After completing baseline studies (see below), patients receive two intravenous doses of immune globulin (on days 6 and 7), followed by measurement of muscle strength 2 days later (day 9). They receive additional IG infusions on days 13, 20, and 27. A final set of tests is performed on day 29. Patients may leave the hospital on pass when no studies are being done.
A patient's initial evaluation includes: