Time-series analysis: variation of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody titer in myasthenia gravis is related to incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and influenza virus infections

• Published in: Neurological research (New York) Vol. 40; no. 2; p. 102
• Main Authors: Iwasa, Kazuo, Yoshikawa, Hiroaki, Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi, Sakai, Kenji, Shinohara-Noguchi, Moeko, Samuraki, Miharu, Takahashi, Kazuya, Yanase, Daisuke, Ono, Kenjiro, Ishida, Chiho, Yoshita, Mitsuhiro, Nakamura, Hiroyuki, Yamada, Masahito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autoantibodies - blood; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - immunology; Male; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis - epidemiology; Myasthenia Gravis - immunology; Myasthenia Gravis - therapy; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Orthomyxoviridae; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma - immunology; Receptors, Cholinergic - immunology; Regression Analysis; Seasons; Time Factors; Young Adult; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; influenza virus; Myasthenia gravis; anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody; immune response
• ISSN: 1743-1328
• DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2017.1407021

Objectives The exacerbating factors of myasthenia gravis (MG) are unknown. However, it has been speculated that infections may play a role in disease progression. Methods We calculated the adjusted anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (Adj-AChR-Ab) titers (range, 0-1) in 58 MG patients between 2006 and 2012. We determined the relationship between Adj-AChR-Ab titer and infection incidence. Results A cross-correlation function (CCF) analysis of Adj-AChR-Ab titer and incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) (r = 0.449, P < 0.0001) and influenza virus (r = 0.411, P < 0.001) infections indicated significant correlations. MG with thymoma was highly correlated with M. pneumoniae infection (r = 0.798, P < 0.0001). The relative risk for Adj-AChR-Ab titer was 1.407 for M. pneumoniae (95% CI, 1.193-1.661 for an increase in one infected patient per monitoring point) and 1.158 for influenza (95% CI, 1.071-1.253 for 100 infected patients). Conclusion Variation of Adj-AChR-Ab titer is significantly influenced by the presence of M. pneumoniae and influenza virus infections.