PMID- 15885043
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20050715
LR  - 20151113
IS  - 1351-5101 (Print)
IS  - 1351-5101 (Linking)
VI  - 12
IP  - 6
DP  - 2005 Jun
TI  - Seronegative myasthenia gravis: disease severity and prognosis.
PG  - 413-8
AB  - Around 10-20% of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients do not have acetylcholine 
      receptor (AChR) antibodies (seronegative), of whom some have antibodies to a 
      membrane-linked muscle specific kinase (MuSK). To examine MG severity and 
      long-term prognosis in seronegative MG compared with seropositive MG, and to look 
      specifically at anti-AChR antibody negative and anti-MuSK antibody negative 
      patients. Seventeen consecutive seronegative non-thymomatous MG patients and 34 
      age and sex matched contemporary seropositive non-thymomatous MG controls were 
      included in a retrospective follow-up study for a total period of 40 years. 
      Clinical criteria were assessed each year, and muscle antibodies were assayed. 
      There was no difference in MG severity between seronegative and seropositive MG. 
      However, when thymectomized patients were excluded from the study at the year of 
      thymectomy, seropositive MG patients had more severe course than seronegative (P 
      < 0.001). One seropositive patient died from MG related respiratory 
      insufficiency. The need for thymectomy in seronegative MG was lower than in 
      seropositive MG. None of the seronegative patients had MuSK antibodies. This 
      study shows that the presence of AChR antibodies in MG patients correlates with a 
      more severe MG. With proper treatment, especially early thymectomy for 
      seropositive MG, the outcome and long-term prognosis is good in patients with and 
      without AChR antibodies.
FAU - Romi, F
AU  - Romi F
AD  - Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. 
      frederik.romi@haukeland.no
FAU - Aarli, J A
AU  - Aarli JA
FAU - Gilhus, N E
AU  - Gilhus NE
LA  - eng
PT  - Clinical Trial
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - England
TA  - Eur J Neurol
JT  - European journal of neurology
JID - 9506311
RN  - 0 (Antibodies)
RN  - 0 (Immunosuppressive Agents)
RN  - 0 (Receptors, Cholinergic)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.1 (MUSK protein, human)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.1 (Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases)
RN  - MRK240IY2L (Azathioprine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Antibodies/*metabolism
MH  - Azathioprine/therapeutic use
MH  - Case-Control Studies
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use
MH  - Incidence
MH  - Longitudinal Studies
MH  - Male
MH  - Myasthenia Gravis/diagnosis/*immunology/physiopathology/surgery
MH  - Prognosis
MH  - Radioimmunoassay/methods
MH  - Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/*immunology
MH  - Receptors, Cholinergic/*immunology
MH  - Retrospective Studies
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
MH  - Thymectomy/methods
MH  - Time Factors
EDAT- 2005/05/12 09:00
MHDA- 2005/07/16 09:00
CRDT- 2005/05/12 09:00
PHST- 2005/05/12 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2005/07/16 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2005/05/12 09:00 [entrez]
AID - ENE1137 [pii]
AID - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01137.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur J Neurol. 2005 Jun;12(6):413-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01137.x.