Long-term change of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody in patients with myasthenia gravis after thymectomy.
Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR Ab) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG). We investigated the change of anti-AChR Ab titer after thymectomy of 10 MG patients including five patients whose age at onset was younger than 16 years. Anti-AChR Ab titer was increased in four of six patients with remission and three of four patients without remission. Change of anti-AChR Ab titer in individual patients showed an increase occurred 1-4 years after thymectomy. It is likely that thymectomy influences immune response and induces autoreactive lymphocytes and autoantibodies.
Hayashi
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Ehime University School of Medicine, Japan.
Manabe
K
K
Takaoka
T
T
Yamada
I
I
Kida
K
K
Matsuda
H
H
Yoshinaga
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013934:Thymectomy
D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic