Patricia Inacio, PhD,  science writer—

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…

Older age, moderate‐to‐severe anemia, and extremely high white blood cell counts were significant predictors of in‐hospital mortality in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients having a myasthenic crisis — marked by severe difficulties in breathing that require mechanical ventilation — a study from Taiwan reported. The study, “Hemogram parameters can…

Renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, may be linked with myasthenia gravis due to an abnormal immune system response to cancer cells, a study of six people with these two disorders reported. Thymomas, or tumors of the thymus, are known to possibly trigger autoimmune diseases, including myasthenia gravis, in what is…

Analysis of five bacterial markers present in the gut microbiome — the community of microbes living in the gut — may help in diagnosing myasthenia gravis (MG) in children, according to a Chinese study. The study, “Metagenome-wide association study of gut microbiome revealed potential microbial marker…

Videonystagmography, a video-tracking system used to investigate balance disorders, can also detect eye muscle fatigue and recovery in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients, making it a potentially useful diagnostic test for MG, a study reported. The study, “A Novel Diagnostic Method for Myasthenia Gravis,” was published in…

Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000in  grants, totaling up…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…

Soliris (eculizumab) was found in a real-world setting to safely and effectively treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who had stopped responding to other treatments, according to a post-marketing surveillance study in Japan. The study “Safety and effectiveness of eculizumab in Japanese patients with…

Blood levels of certain immune cells, called follicular helper T-cells (Tfh), are abnormally high in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG)  who have autoantibodies against the acetylcholine receptor, a study shows. Study results showed that cells released inflammatory molecules and were linked with more severe disease, supporting their role as a…