title: Prognosis of myasthenia gravis: a retrospective study of 380 patients.
abstract: The 9139 follow-up records of 438 myasthenia gravis (MG) patients were reviewed. Excluding those patients who were diagnosed 5 or more years after symptom onset (n = 37) and those who experienced only oculomotor symptoms throughout follow-up (n = 21), there were 380 patients. A survival analysis approach was used to assess the influence of prognostic factors on the following endpoints: (a) stable complete remission, (b) complete remission of at least 6 months and (c) pharmacological remission of at least 6 months. Early diagnosis was associated with a better prognosis with respect to all endpoints. Thymectomy also improved the prognosis but only for those patients without thymoma. Later MG onset was associated with a higher tendency to achieve pharmacological remission.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Neurologico C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cosi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raiola
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Citterio
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berzuini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms