Background. Previous reports describe ethnicity based differences in clinical and laboratory features between Caucasians and African Americans with myasthenia gravis. However, it is not known whether these findings apply to other ethnicities. Methods. Retrospective analysis of all patients treated for myasthenia gravis during a three-year period at a community based medical center. Results. A t...

OBJECTIVES To study mortality and survival of patients with myasthenia gravis. METHODS 290 patients with myasthenia gravis were studied, including 212 incident cases identified during a comprehensive epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis in western Denmark 1975-89. Follow up was performed on 31 December 1994. Survival curves were constructed using the life table method. Patient data were...

BACKGROUND Nemaline rod disease is a congenital myopathy, presentation of which may mimic myasthenia gravis. METHOD We report a suspected case of nemaline rod disease in a female adolescent who presented with features similar to myasthenia gravis but failed to respond effectively to its conventional management. She had features of respiratory failure and cardiomyopathy. RESULTS Patient had ...

Introduction. Thymectomy is a recommended treatment for myasthenia gravis, enfacing the problem of low remission rate. However, Indonesian-specific characteristics gravis are somehow different from those well-developed countries. Thus, identifying prognostic factors influencing required patient selection to provide optimal preoperative issues.

BACKGROUND Antibodies to a muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) have been found in approximately 40% of patients with generalized myasthenia gravis who are seronegative for the antiacetylcholine receptor antibody. Many of the patients with anti-MuSK antibodies have prominent oculobulbar symptoms or weakness of the neck and respiratory muscles, but patients with ocular myasthenia have...

INTRODUCTION Oropharyngeal weakness leading to dysphagia is rarely the presenting symptom of myasthenia gravis, but it can be a significant source of morbidity and mortality. The earliest possible diagnosis of myasthenia gravis should be made for better management of this cause of treatable dysphagia. A detailed evaluation of swallowing by videofluoroscopy can assist in making an accurate diagn...

roglobulin, antimicrosome, or antiskeletal muscle autoantibodies whereas the generalised type showed a high titre and incidence of autoantibodies including AChR antibody.5 Seronegative patients or those with low AChR antibody may form a low responder subgroup of myasthenia gravis distinct from the high responders, who show a high titre of AChR antibody. Twelve patients (37 5%) were of the ocula...

negative’ myasthenia gravis. J. Neuroimmunol. 28:83–93. 8. Drachman, D.B., de Silva, S., Ramsay, D., and Pestronk, A. 1987. Humoral pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 505:90–105. 9. Drachman, D., DeSilva, S., Ramsay, D., and Pestronk, A. 1987. “Sero-negative” myasthenia gravis: a humorally mediated variant of myasthenia. Neurology. 37(Suppl. 1):214. 10. Burges, J., et al. 199...

Bulbar weakness and fatigue resulting in dysphagia and dysarthria is common in myasthenia gravis. In chronic MG it is often assumed that these symptoms herald an exacerbation of the patient's disease and doses of cholinergic agents and immunomodulatory therapies may be increased, along with initiation of plasma exchange. A case is presented in which dysphagia was refractory to standard MG thera...