title: Immunotherapy of ocular myasthenia gravis reduces conversion to generalized myasthenia gravis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several retrospective studies have suggested that immunotherapy, including prednisolone, azathioprine and thymectomy, reduces progression of ocular myasthenia gravis to generalized myasthenia gravis. This study examines the effect of immunotherapy on generalization rates in ocular myasthenia patients who are acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective record review of 34 patients from three university-based hospitals with neurology and neuro-ophthalmology services in Australia. In all patients, positive AChR antibodies were recorded, the initial symptoms were purely ocular, and all had at least 2 years of follow-up. The patients who developed generalized myasthenia gravis were compared with those who remained purely ocular.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 21 patients who developed generalized myasthenia gravis. Of these 21, only 2 (9.5%) had received prior immunotherapy. Among the 13 patients whose symptoms remained purely ocular, 10 (76.9%) had received prior immunotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, most of the patients who progressed from ocular myasthenia to generalized myasthenia had not received prior immunotherapy. This study adds weight to the call for a prospective trial of early immunotherapy in patients with ocular myasthenia.
authors.affiliation: Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mee
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paine
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reardon
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Day
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome