We produced a Japanese translation of the 15-item myasthenia gravis (MG)-specific quality of life (QOL) scale (MG-QOL15), assessed its reliability and validity, and examined clinical factors affecting the self-perceived QOL in MG. Consecutive 327 patients with MG seen at six neurological centers were evaluated. All patients completed an MG-QOL15 Japanese version (MG-QOL15-J), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and a generic health-related QOL questionnaire, the SF-36. Disease severity was determined according to the MG Foundation of America (MGFA) quantitative MG score and the MG composite. The MG-QOL15-J exhibited adequate internal reliability, test-retest repeatability, and concurrent validity with SF-36, disease severity, and known-patient groups categorized by MGFA postintervention status. Multivariate analysis revealed severity, dose of oral corticosteroids, and BDI-II as independent factors negatively affecting QOL. The MG-QOL15-J is anticipated to be a valuable clinical measure of QOL in Japanese patients with MG.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to examine clinical factors associated with depressive state in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).DesignCross-sectional study.Setting and participantsWe evaluated 287 consecutive cases of MG seen at six neurological centres located in Eastern Japan.Outcome measuresAll MG patients completed the Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition (BDI-II). Disease severity was determined according to the MG Foundation of America (MGFA) quantitative MG score, MG activities of daily living scale and MG composite scale (MG composite). Clinical state following treatment was categorised according to MGFA postintervention status. Associations between detailed clinical parameters of MG and BDI-II score were then examined statistically.ResultsMean BDI-II score for patients with MG (11.0±8.1) did not differ substantially from and overlapped with that reported as the Japanese standard (8.7±6.4). The mean +2 SDs for the Japanese standard is 21.5, approximately equal to the cut-off level indicative of moderate or worse depression (>20 points) in the original English version. We thus defined BDI-II >21.5 as depressive state, with a frequency of 13.6% in patients with MG. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed current dose of oral prednisolone (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.17; p=0.01), unchanged MGFA postintervention status (OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.18 to 10.71; p=0.02), time since onset (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.99; p=0.03) and MG composite (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.34; p=0.046) as factors independently associated with depressive state in MG.ConclusionsDose of oral corticosteroids appears to represent the major factor associated with depressive state in MG. Unchanged status despite treatment and early disease stage are also significant background factors for depressive state, along with disease severity.

Introduction:Our study aim was to produce a Japanese translation of the 15‐item Myasthenia Gravis Quality‐of‐Life Scale (MG‐QOL15), assess its reliability and validity, and examine clinical factors affecting self‐perceived QOL in MG.Methods:We evaluated 327 consecutive patients with MG seen at six neurological centers. All patients completed the Japanese version of the MG‐QOL15 (MG‐QOL15‐J), the Beck Depression Inventory—second edition (BDI‐II), and a generic health‐related QOL questionnaire, the SF‐36. Disease severity was determined according to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) quantitative MG score and the MG composite.Results:The MG‐QOL15‐J exhibited adequate internal reliability, test–retest repeatability, and concurrent validity with SF‐36, disease severity, and known‐patient groups categorized by MGFA post‐intervention status. Multivariate analysis revealed severity, dose of oral corticosteroids, and BDI‐II as independent factors negatively affecting QOL.Conclusion:The MG‐QOL15‐J is anticipated to be a valuable clinical measure of QOL in Japanese patients with MG. Muscle Nerve 46: 166–173, 2012

No abstract

No abstract