Clinical Characteristics of MuSK Antibody-positive Myasthenia Gravis in Taiwan

Circulating antibodies of the acetylcholine receptor (AchRAb) are detectable in most patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG). A newly discovered antibody against muscle-specific kinase (MuSKAb) has been detected in 40–70% of AchRAb-negative MG patients. We report a series of Taiwanese MuSKA...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yung-Chuan Huang, Jiann-Horng Yeh, Hou-Chang Chiu, Wei-Hung Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2008-07-01
Series:Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664608601710
Description
Summary:Circulating antibodies of the acetylcholine receptor (AchRAb) are detectable in most patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG). A newly discovered antibody against muscle-specific kinase (MuSKAb) has been detected in 40–70% of AchRAb-negative MG patients. We report a series of Taiwanese MuSKAb-positive patients, and compare their clinical features with MuSKAb-negative patients and also with MuSKAb-positive Caucasians. Five out of 44 seronegative generalized MG patients (11.4%) were positive for MuSKAb. Patients with MuSKAb tended to have severe disability and bulbar involvement, and more often experienced crisis or impending crisis. Although all of these patients showed an initial response to immunosuppressant therapy, they had greater disability at follow-up. The clinical features of Taiwanese MuSKAb-positive patients were not different from those of Caucasians, except for a lower prevalence.
ISSN:0929-6646