Advances in myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) are reviewed. Increased awareness about the need for more uniform methods of reporting treatment trials for MG has prompted systematic review of the literature and inspired an effort to develop better classifications and disease-specific outcome measures. New antibodies have been discovered in patients with seronegative MG, possibly defining an immunologically distinct form of the disease. A new immunosuppressant, mycophenolate mofetil, may be an additional and safe option in the treatment of MG. Other work supports the possibility of developing a vaccine against MG suitable for trial in humans.

Myasthenia gravis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation treated with mycophenolate mofetil monitored by peripheral blood OX40+ CD4+ T cells

“…Using MMF, PSL was tapered from 60 mg to 5 mg in as short a time as 6 months without recurrence of MG in this case, in contrast to the several years usually taken to taper PSL in MG. This demonstrated that MMF can be successfully used for MG associated with cGVHD, as reported for MG unrelated to cGVHD (12).…”

Sternotomy versus video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thymectomy of myasthenia gravis patients: A meta‐analysis

“…Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease characterized by anti‐acetylcholine receptor antibodies and autoimmune lymphocytes . Surgical efficacy of extended thymectomy, which demands an en bloc removal of anterior mediastinal fat tissues , has been widely accepted.…”

Treatment and outcome of myasthenia gravis: retrospective multi-center analysis of 470 Japanese patients, 1999–2000

“…Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission usually mediated by antibodies specific to the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) [1,2]. Autoimmune MG is probably the best understood of the human autoimmune diseases, and our knowledge of its pathogenesis and treatment has increased [2,3].…”

“…Autoimmune MG is probably the best understood of the human autoimmune diseases, and our knowledge of its pathogenesis and treatment has increased [2,3]. Treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, corticosteroids [4,5], and other immunosupressive medications [6 -11].…”