title: Autoimmune myastenia gravis with thymoma following the spontaneous remission of stiff-man syndrome.
abstract: A patient who developed generalized autoimmune myasthenia gravis six years after the spontaneous remission of a stiff-man syndrome is described. He also suffered from chronic active hepatitis and had radiological evidence of a thymoma. He did not have diabetes mellitus. Besides anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antibodies, anti-nuclear, anti-DNA, anti-mitochondrial and anti-skeletal muscle antibodies were found in his serum, while islet-cell antibodies were absent. Immunocytochemistry studies failed to demonstrate autoantibodies to GABA-ergic nerve terminals, although an aspecific neuronal immunostaining was observed. The clinical and immunological features of this case support the hypothesis of a dysimmune pathogenesis of SMS, also in cases not associated with autoimmunity to GABA-ergic nerve terminals. Furthermore, a relationship between thymoma and the neurological syndromes discussed could be considered.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Neurologico C. Mondino, Clinica Neurologica, Università di Pavia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moglia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arrigo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cosi
mesh_terms: D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009127:Muscle Rigidity / Q000209:etiology*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013577:Syndrome; D013945:Thymoma / Q000209:etiology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*