Editor’s note: The Myasthenia Gravis News team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference Rituximab, an approved immunosuppressive treatment for certain cancers and autoimmune conditions, effectively eases disease severity and prevents…
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…
Blood levels of two pro-inflammatory subsets of immune T-cells are abnormally low in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) who have antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), a study shows. The reduced levels of these cells were associated with their retention in a patient’s thymus — whose removal is a…
Greater reductions in the levels of antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) within the first three months after immunosuppressive treatment in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) are associated with better one-year post-therapy outcomes, a study shows. These findings suggest that measuring anti-AChR antibodies shortly after the start of such therapy…
A single, two-day and low-dose course of rituximab can effectively treat patients with muscle-specific tyrosine kinase myasthenia gravis (MuSK-MG) over at least six months, according to a pilot study. The low dose administered eased disease symptoms and measures of clinical severity, and enabled patients to lower their steroid…
Myasthenia gravis (MG) tends to be more severe and generalized at diagnosis, and myasthenic crises more frequent in patients whose disease is associated with thymoma, an analysis of a patient registry has found. MG patients with thymoma also required more immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies,…
As anyone affected by a rare disease knows, treating the illness while trying to go about everyday life is an expensive undertaking. But exactly how expensive — in terms of direct and indirect costs across rare disease populations — might still come as a surprise: almost…
High pyridostigmine doses cause overactive bladder issues in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a recent study. Because of this, doctors should take patients’ bladder-related discomfort into account when deciding treatment regimens, and consider prescribing lower pyridostigmine doses or alternative therapies. The study, “Overactive…
In two of three myasthenia gravis (MG) patients who contracted COVID-19, the use of immunosuppressants did not cause an exacerbation or myasthenic crisis, a case study reports, suggesting the treatments may be safe and beneficial for this group of patients. “Despite these…
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…
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