Ambulantná terapia 1/2009

Immunotherapy in outpatient practice – what we can expect from chemical immunomodulatory drugs?

Every clinician – although not clinical immunologist – meets in his practice rather frequently patient in that the immunodeficiency is supposed. Its expression may be recurring infections of mucous membranes (e.g. of respiratory and uro-genital tract) and of skin and other infectious expressions. Although not every such case can be demonstrated in lab-parameters, clinician has a role to help the patient. Despite vast progress in medicine of last decades, possibilities of pharmacologic immunotherapy are limited. Apart from substitution therapy (immunoglobulins, transfer factors), the arsenal of imunomodulátory drugs is restricted; the number of chemical substances with proven efficacy is small. In this review we present actual position of such drugs as inosine pranobex and polyoxidonium. Immunotherapy coming out from principles of evidence-based and experience-based medicine can significantly improve prognosis of patient with secondary immunodeficiency.

Keywords: immunodeficiency, immunomodulation, inosine pranobex, polyoxidonium