Myasthenia Gravis

A recent study on Myasthenia Gravis by Jeffery T. Guptill MD and Donald B. Sanders MD!

Here’s a recent study published on the web regarding Myasthenia Gravis which we thought is worth sharing with you all.

Source: http://www.myasthenia.org/

Study of Myasthenia Gravis patients with autoantibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) In a recent paper, Jeffrey T. Guptill MD and Donald B. Sanders MD reviewed data on 110 MuSK-MG patients from two clinics, in Italy and the USA, that follow a large number of these patients. Their findings are summarized here.

Summary of Guptill et al. Muscle & Nerve. 2011;44: 36–40

Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with autoantibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) have a
clinically distinct subset of the disease. In part because the disease is rare, information on the treatment
and outcomes in MuSK-MG patients has been limited and conflicting. In a recent paper, Guptill et al.
reviewed data on 110 MuSK-MG patients from two clinics, in Italy and the USA, that follow a large
number of these patients. Interestingly, the clinical features, response to treatment, and patient
outcomes were remarkably similar between the two study sites. Eighty-five percent of patients with
MuSK-MG were female and the first symptoms typically occurred between ages 30 and 40. Ocular
(drooping eyelids or double vision) and/or bulbar symptoms (such as difficulty swallowing, talking,
chewing) were present in most patients early in the disease. Shortly after the onset of symptoms most
patients had moderate or severe disease and they often rapidly deteriorated. MG crisis, resulting in the
temporary use of a ventilator, occurred in 28% of the patients. More patients responded to plasma
exchange than intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) during exacerbations. Long-term outcomes were
comparable to those of patients with AChR-Ab–positive MG, although MuSK-MG patients often required
chronic use of two or more immunosuppressive medications, such as prednisone and azathioprine, to
control the disease. The few patients who received rituximab responded very well. The available data
was insufficient to determine if thymectomy was beneficial for patients with MuSK-MG.
In order to be sure about the authenticity of the excerpt you can go to this link yourself

http://www.myasthenia.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=znT_uV1g9nI%3d&tabid=103 .

Hope it helps!!!

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button