G.P.138

• Published in: Neuromuscular disorders : NMD Vol. 24; no. 9; p. 842
• Main Authors: Yildiz-Celik, S, Durmus, H, Hajibehzad, M, Yilmaz, V, Oflazer-Serdaroglu, P, Parman, Y, Saruhan-Direskeneli, G, Deyemeer, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Neurology
• ISSN: 0960-8966
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2014.06.168

Findings in recent epidemiological studies have implied that the frequency of myasthenia gravis (MG) may be increasing in the elderly population. Published studies of late-onset MG have disclosed some of its characteristics: males are more frequently affected, the thymus is more likely to be involuted, there is a different HLA profile and anti-striatal muscle antibodies against titin/ryanodine receptors may be present. In our MG database, there were 95 generalized non-thymomatous MG patients with disease onset ⩾50 years who first presented to our outpatient clinic during the 10 years between 2001 and 2010 and who were followed for at least 3 years. All patients were contacted by phone calls or letters. There was a marked male preponderance with male to female ratio of 1.7:1. Onset was with predominantly ocular symptoms (62%), followed by bulbar symptoms (23%) and weakness in the extremities (11%); two patients had neck weakness and 4 had mixed onset symptoms. Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies (AChR Ab) were present in 84%, 5% were anti-MuSK Ab positive and 11 % were double negative. Sixty-two percent had anti-titin antibodies. The disease was mild (MGFA 2) in approximately half of the patients (47%) while 6% were intubated. Fifty-seven percent (including all of the patients with MuSK MG) had MGFA postintervention status of complete stable remission/pharmacological remission/minimal manifestations at the last visit. A further 28 % were improved. The combination of prednisolone and azathioprine appeared to be superior to these agents used alone. In 15 mildly affected patients in whom azathioprine was combined with low dose prednisolone (<30 mg/day), 73% had pharmacological remission/minimal manifestations. Fifteen patients had thymectomy, but its effect could not be evaluated because of concomitant immunosuppressives. The thymus showed hyperplasia in only one-third. In this study group, LOMG appears to be a fairly benign disorder with good prognosis.