Treatment with the immunotherapy Opdivo (nivolumab) may, in rare cases, trigger myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a Japanese case report. The patient, a 55-year-old woman, developed severe MG, which required admission to the intensive care unit and prolonged mechanical ventilation. The recovery of her breathing function was successfully monitored by assessing…
One common treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG) is intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). I was initially treated with IVIG for my symptom flares and exacerbations. Thanks to detailed notes kept by my infusion nurses at the Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Maine, where I received those infusions, and because of…
Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with antibodies against the thyroid gland have significantly more B-cells — the immune cells that produce antibodies — and fewer immune T-cells, a small single-center study in China shows. These early findings suggest the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies may affect the success of immunomodulating therapies…
A Russian military plane crash near Tetiana Zamorska’s home in Kyiv, Ukraine, was a sign that it was time for her and her family to leave. The treacherous, 34-hour pilgrimage that ultimately brought the group of eight by car to temporary accommodations in neighboring Poland last month was physically and emotionally difficult,…
Lymphoplasma exchange — a procedure that involves exchanging a patient’s plasma and also removing certain immune cells from the bloodstream — can ease symptoms of acute exacerbations of myasthenia gravis (MG), a new study reports. The study, “Lymphoplasma Exchange Improves Myasthenia Gravis Exacerbations: A Retrospective Study…
Hobbies can be a funny thing. It feels like some of us have many and could go broke supplying them, while others have no idea how to relax or do something for the sake of enjoyment. I personally have fallen into both categories at different points in my life. When…
The long-acting complement inhibitor Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat most adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The approval specifically covers patients who are positive for antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) — about 80% of gMG patients. “With the…
Disease severity at diagnosis and levels of self-reactive antibodies are independent risk factors for myasthenic crisis and disease exacerbations, a German study suggests. Close monitoring, particularly of infections, is important to prevent disease worsening in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), the researchers noted. The study, “Independent risk factors…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Milla Pharmaceuticals’ generic version of Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide) for treating the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG). The new generic, available as a syrup, is expected to soon launch in the U.S. This approval of Milla’s abbreviated new drug…
“Stick a fork in me, I’m done!” “I don’t have enough spoons for this.” We’ve all heard various quips involving silverware. When one becomes part of the chronic illness family, they may adopt the term “spoonie,” based on the spoon theory, a metaphor coined by lupus patient Christine Miserandino. Essentially,…
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