Minimal change disease in a patient with myasthenia gravis

BACKGROUND Myasthenia gravis superimposed with proteinuria is a very rare disorder with only 39 cases reported so far. Of these cases, the most commonly associated disorder is minimal change disease. Myasthenia gravis and minimal change disease are both related to the dysfunction of T lymphocytes and hence the 2 disorders may be connected. METHODS Here we report the first case on a patient diagnosed with myasthenia gravis concurrently with the minimal change disease, and it was presented in the absence of thymoma or thymic hyperplasia. RESULTS Treatment for myasthenia gravis also lowered proteinuria of minimal change disease. He ever experienced good control for myasthenia gravis and minimal change disease. However, pneumonia related septic shock occurred to him and finally he was dead. Minimal change disease is generally considered to occur subsequent to the onset of myasthenia gravis with causal association. After extensive literature review, we noted only 47.8% minimal change disease had occurred after the onset of myasthenia gravis. CONCLUSION Minimal change disease mostly occurs in children and if diagnosed in adults, clinicians should search for a potential cause such as myasthenia gravis and other associated thymic disorders.