Clinical study of Myasthenia Gravis associated with other autoimmune disease

Kim, Byung Ho; Koh, Seong Beom; Park, Min Kyu; Park, Kun Woo; Lee, Dae Hie

Ann Clin Neurophysiol > 2001 ;3(1) > Article

Ann Clin Neurophysiol. 2001; 3(1): 21-25.

Byung Ho Kim, Seong Beom Koh, Min Kyu Park, Kun Woo Park, and Dae Hie Lee

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Background & Object : Myasthenia gravis(MG) is an autoimmune disease due to binding of antibody to acetylcholine receptors on the muscle membrane. It is well known that other autoimmune disease infrequently accompany myasthenia gravis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of associated autoimmune diseases(AAD) and compare prognosis between MG with AAD and MG without AAD. Method : A total of 65 MG patients(24 men and 41 women) were enrolled at this study. From the clinical records of these patients, we investigated the clinical characteristics and prognosis of MG with AAD and compared thses date with those of MG without other such disease. Results : AAD were found in 10 of 65 cases(15%). 9 cases of10 MG with AAD were generalized MG type. The most common disease was thyroid disorders. The rate of AAD was higher in thymic abnormal patients. There was no significant remission rate difference between MG with AAD and MG without AAD, but the percentage of patients experienced crisis was higher in MG with AAD. Conclusion : The occurrence of AAD may suggest a more generalized autoimmune disturbance that could be associated with a less favorable prognosis.

Key words: Myasthenia gravis, Autoimmune disease