Demographic, Clinical, Electrophysiological, and Immunological Features of Patients with Myasthenia Gravis Diagnosed in the Last Five Years

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the demographic, clinical, electrophysiological, and immunological features of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosed at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, between January 2015 and January 2020.

Materials and Methods: The study included 53 patients with MG who were newly diagnosed at the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, between January 2015 and January 2020. Patients’ files were retrospectively analyzed. The demographic and clinical data, acetyl choline receptor (AChR) antibody level, anti-muscle-specific kinase (anti-MuSK) antibody level, thymoma status, and electrophysiological characteristics were recorded.

Results: Of patients with MG, 28 (52.8%) were female and 25 (47.1%) were male. The average age of onset was 44.1±17.6 years in male patients and 32.4±12.4 years in female patients. Of the female patients, 53.6% were aged between 20 and 40 years, and 44% of the male patients were older than 60 years. Twenty-two (41.3%) patients had ocular onset MG, and 16 (30.1%) patients had generalized onset MG. AChR antibody was positive in 44 (83%) patients, and anti-MuSK antibody was positive in three (5.6%) patients. Eighteen (33.9%) patients had thymoma, and 10 (18.8%) patients had thymic hyperplasia. In 30 (56.6%) patients, a decremental response was obtained in repetitive nerve stimulation in electromyography.

Conclusion: Our study confirmed that MG occurred at a higher rate in women, at younger ages, and in men older than 60 years. Ocular symptoms were the most common reason for admission. The number of patients with MG with moderate and severe clinical pictures was high. A high rate of anti-AChR antibody positivity was found in patients with ocular MG. The incidence results of timoma was high.

The Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, approved the study under decision number 7/56 on 26.06.2020.

Since our study was a retrospective study, patient consent was not obtained.

Externally and internally peer-reviewed.

The author declared that this study received no financial support.