title: Myasthenia gravis on the Dutch antilles: an epidemiological study.
abstract: We carried out an epidemiological study on the prevalence and annual incidence of myasthenia gravis on tropical islands Curaçao and Aruba in the period 1980-1995. Twenty-one patients (seven men and 14 women) were identified. The point prevalence increased from 29 per million in 1980 to about 70 per million in 1990-1995; the annual incidence over the total period was 4.7 per million. The female:male ratio was 2:1; purely ocular cases (2/21) comprised 9.5% and thymomas (4/21), 19%. These data are in accordance with most other epidemiological studies in non-tropical areas. No other studies on myasthenia gravis in tropical areas have been reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Holtsema
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mourik
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Rico
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Falconi
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kuks
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014900:West Indies