Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

The Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may, in very rare cases, cause myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms to worsen in people with more severe disease, a small Japanese study reported. The study, “Flare of myasthenia gravis induced by COVID-19 vaccines,” was published in the Journal of…

Treatment with the immunotherapy Opdivo (nivolumab) may, in rare cases, trigger myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a Japanese case report. The patient, a 55-year-old woman, developed severe MG, which required admission to the intensive care unit and prolonged mechanical ventilation. The recovery of her breathing function was successfully monitored by assessing…

Disease severity at diagnosis and levels of self-reactive antibodies are independent risk factors for myasthenic crisis and disease exacerbations, a German study suggests. Close monitoring, particularly of infections, is important to prevent disease worsening in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), the researchers noted. The study, “Independent risk factors…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) may occur alongside Miller Fisher syndrome, another rare autoimmune disease also characterized by weakness of the eye muscles, a recent case report highlights. The report emphasizes the importance of careful examination for the possibility of co-occurring autoimmune disorders when a patient shows uncommon symptoms. “Even…

Immunosuppressant medications significantly reduced the risk of ocular myasthenia gravis (MG), which affects only eye and eyelid muscles, progressing to a generalized form of the disease that affects other muscles, a Chinese study suggests. These findings indicate that immunosuppressant medications should be considered early on in the treatment…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and placed on priority review an application seeking the approval of Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) to treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The FDA set April through June as a target date range for its decision. Ultomiris is a monoclonal antibody…

In an older woman, myasthenia gravis (MG) onset followed surgery to remove a thymoma, or tumor of the thymus, a case study reported. Doctors should actively check for MG symptoms in patients with a thymoma before and after surgery, and measure the levels of self-reacting antibodies against acetylcholine receptors,…

Determining whether two types of immune cells — T follicular helper cells and activated dendritic cells — are present or lacking in a thymoma, in addition to the levels of specific genes, may help to predict the risk of myasthenia gravis (MG) among people with these tumors, a small study suggests.

A type of myasthenia gravis (MG) caused by the presence of self-reactive antibodies targeting muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) affects mostly women and manifests with eye and bulbar symptoms (those involving the face and neck), according to a single-center study in Northwest China. In these cases, MG can be successfully managed…

An 82-year-old man was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) shortly after receiving his second dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, a case study reports. He lacked typical MG symptoms, but instead developed speech problems (dysarthria) and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). “Diagnosis of COVID-19 vaccine associated new onset myasthenia gravis…