News

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…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) can mimic the symptoms of a stroke and should not be ruled out even in younger patients, a recent medical case report suggests. The report, “Myasthenia gravis masquerading as acute stroke: a case report,” was published in the PanAfrican Medical Journal. MG…

When used over long periods of time, Soliris (eculizumab) does not increase the risk of infections in people with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), according to a new analysis of clinical trial data. Findings from this post hoc analysis were presented this week at the 2021 MDA Virtual Clinical…