Marked improvement of Churg–Strauss vasculitis with intravenous gamma globulins during pregnancy

Churg–Strauss syndrome (CSS) is an extremely rare disease, and even less common in women of childbearing age. Patients with severe disease or those who are un-responsive to corticosteroids are usually treated with cytotoxic drugs, especially cyclophosphmide. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has became a promising, but not completely accepted, form of treatment for systemic vasculitis that is un-responsive to standard therapy. We report a case of a woman who presented with a CSS flare during pregnancy. Because of mono-neuritis, treatment with IVIg was instituted with successful results. Our case not only supports the beneficial effect of IVIg in CSS, but it also illustrates its successful and safe use in a patient who was pregnant. We discuss the indication of IVIg during the course of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antigen (ANCA) vasculitis during the pregnancy.