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Current management of myasthenia gravis in Belgium: a single-center experience

Current management of myasthenia gravis in Belgium: a single-center experience IntroductionAs new treatments are becoming available for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), it is worth reflecting on the actual status of MG treatment to determine which patients would most likely benefit from the new treatments.MethodsWe reviewed the clinical files of all MG patients seen at the Department of Neurology of the Antwerp University Hospital during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.Results163 patients were included. Age at diagnosis varied from the first to the eighth decades, with a peak of incidence from 60 to 70 years for both genders, and an additional peak from 20 to 30 years in women. Diplopia and ptosis were by far the most common onset symptom. At maximum disease severity, 24% of the patients still had purely ocular symptoms and 4% needed mechanical ventilation. 97% of the patients received a treatment with pyridostigmine and 68% with corticosteroids, often in combination with immunosuppressants. More than half reported side effects. At the latest visit, 50% of the patients were symptom-free. Also, half of the symptomatic patients were fulltime at work or retired with no or mild limitations in daily living. The remaining patients were working part-time, on sick leave, or retired with severe limitations.Discussion and conclusionThe majority of MG patients are doing well with currently available treatments, but often at the cost of side effects in the short and in the long term. A significant group is in need of better treatments. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Acta Neurologica Belgica Springer Journals

Current management of myasthenia gravis in Belgium: a single-center experience

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Belgian Neurological Society 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
ISSN
0300-9009
eISSN
2240-2993
DOI
10.1007/s13760-023-02187-0
Publisher site
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Abstract

IntroductionAs new treatments are becoming available for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), it is worth reflecting on the actual status of MG treatment to determine which patients would most likely benefit from the new treatments.MethodsWe reviewed the clinical files of all MG patients seen at the Department of Neurology of the Antwerp University Hospital during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.Results163 patients were included. Age at diagnosis varied from the first to the eighth decades, with a peak of incidence from 60 to 70 years for both genders, and an additional peak from 20 to 30 years in women. Diplopia and ptosis were by far the most common onset symptom. At maximum disease severity, 24% of the patients still had purely ocular symptoms and 4% needed mechanical ventilation. 97% of the patients received a treatment with pyridostigmine and 68% with corticosteroids, often in combination with immunosuppressants. More than half reported side effects. At the latest visit, 50% of the patients were symptom-free. Also, half of the symptomatic patients were fulltime at work or retired with no or mild limitations in daily living. The remaining patients were working part-time, on sick leave, or retired with severe limitations.Discussion and conclusionThe majority of MG patients are doing well with currently available treatments, but often at the cost of side effects in the short and in the long term. A significant group is in need of better treatments.

Journal

Acta Neurologica Belgica – Springer Journals

Published: Apr 1, 2023

Keywords: Myasthenia gravis; Treatment; Autoantibodies; Electromyography

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