Treatment with an antibody targeting the interleukin-23 (IL-23) protein reduced symptoms and eased inflammation in mouse models of myasthenia gravis (MG), a study found. Evidence suggested the antibody lowers the activation of T-helper 17 (Th17) cells — a cell family implicated in MG and other autoimmune diseases — in…
Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) has been approved in Canada to treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are positive for antibodies targeting the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), the most common type of MG-causing antibody. The announcement came less than a year after Ultomiris was approved for the condition in the U.S., and…
Researchers have identified clinical factors that increase the risk of a post-operative myasthenic crisis (POMC) for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) who have surgery to remove the thymus gland. Among the risk factors listed are more severe MG with respiratory muscle involvement, pre-operative use of a high dose of pyridostigmine…
Adults with myasthenia gravis (MG) have elevated levels of protein fragments released from T follicular helper (Tfh) cells — an immune cell type involved in the development of autoimmune conditions — in their bloodstream, a study reported. According to researchers, these results suggest that molecules associated with Tfh cells…
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…
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