News

Shedding of the muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) protein from the surface of muscle cells into the bloodstream could be the reason why anti-MuSK antibodies drive myasthenia gravis (MG) in some cases, according to a study. The protein was found in the blood of healthy mice and people, and was…

The Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was safe and well tolerated in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), a study confirmed. Worsening of MG symptoms after the third vaccine dose occurred in eight of the 113 study participants (7.1%) who were all successfully treated with standard immunoglobulins (IVIG). While…

A new mathematical tool that combines factors such as age at disease onset, sex, and clinical test results, could predict with high accuracy the risk of converting from ocular myasthenia gravis to the generalized form of the disease, a recent study reported. The study, “Dynamic…

Myasthenia Gravis News has brought you up-to-date coverage of the latest scientific research and developments in treatment related to myasthenia gravis (MG) throughout 2022. We look forward to continuing to serve as a resource for patients and their families, caregivers, clinicians and physicians, researchers, advocates, industry leaders, scientists…

The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), which can be readily measured from a simple blood test, may help tell which people with myasthenia gravis (MG) will go on to develop respiratory failure, a study has found. High levels of systemic (whole-body) inflammatory markers or a diagnosis of generalized MG were…

Analyzing the motor end-plate (MEP) — the specialized muscle region that communicates with a nerve cell — using a muscle biopsy could help diagnose patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) who test negative for common disease-associated antibodies, a small study suggests. Among patients with MG-like symptoms who were negative on…

An infection with parvovirus B19 may contribute to abnormal immune cell growth in people who have a thymoma, or thymus tumor, associated with myasthenia gravis (MG), a new study reports. “This study shows that B19V infection may cause B-cell proliferation and formation of ectopic GCs [germinal centers], subsequently leading…

More than one in three people with myasthenia gravis (MG) have clinically relevant depression, and a similar proportion have anxiety, a new large-scale analysis found. These rates are high, even compared with other autoimmune diseases, according to the researchers, who stressed the importance of providing care and support to…

A protein called CD59 might protect the neuromuscular junction — the place where nerve cells come into contact and communicate with muscle cells — from the harmful action of the body’s immune system in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients, a study in Japan suggests. “CD59 overexpression might be required for…

The risk of developing another autoimmune disease, especially rheumatoid arthritis, increased in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) after surgery to remove a thymoma, or a tumor of the thymus gland, according to a recent Chinese study. Women and younger patients were at particularly higher risk. The study, “…