Carolina Specialty Care provides infusion therapy for patients in the region to help treat specific diseases. Infusion (or IV) therapy is a type of medical treatment that involves the administration of fluids, medications, or nutrients for the rapid and efficient delivery of these substances to the body, bypassing the digestive system and ensuring their immediate absorption and effect.
Infusion therapy can be used to treat a variety of autoimmune disorders, including:
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Four medications are commonly used for RA infusion treatments. Each targets a different area of your immune system.
- Tocilizumab (Actemra): reduces joint pain and swelling by blocking interleukin-6.
- Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors (Remicade and its Biosimilars, Simponi Aria, Cimzia): prevent joint damage by inhibiting TNF proteins.
- Rituximab (Rituxan): slows down the progression of joint and bone damage by targeting B cells.
- Abatacept (Orencia): prevents joint and bone damage by attacking T cells.
Multiple sclerosis (MS): Infusion therapy can be used to treat relapses in MS patients with medications such as natalizumab (Tysabri), alemtuzumab (Lemtrada), and ocrelizumab (Ocrevus).
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy can be used to treat SLE, as it helps regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Infusion therapy can be used to treat severe cases of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, using medications such as infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira), and vedolizumab (Entyvio).
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Biologic drugs such as ustekinumab (Stelara), infliximab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira) can be used in IV therapy to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Sjögren’s syndrome: Rituximab (Rituxan) is a biologic drug that has been shown to be effective in treating Sjögren’s syndrome in some patients.
Gout: Krystexxa (pegloticase) to help reduce symptoms may help reduce symptoms in adult patients with chronic gout in adults who haven’t responded to other therapies.
NOTE: The specific IV therapy used to treat autoimmune disorders is determined by a medical provider based on each individual patient’s needs and medical history. As with any medication, the benefits and risks are discussed with each patient before receiving IV treatment.
View the original post on the Carolina Specialty Care website.
