title: High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of MuSK antibody-positive seronegative myasthenia gravis.
abstract: We treated two patients with anti-muscle specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK)-antibody positive seronegative myasthenia gravis (MG) with high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin (IVIg) and evaluated their clinical courses. Both patients were Japanese women, MuSK-positive seronegative MG, and were unresponsive to conventional treatments, including thymectomy, steroids, and tacrolimus. The patients required frequent hospitalization for plasmapheresis. In case 1, a 45-year-old woman, it was difficult to obtain blood access for plasmapheresis. High-dose IVIg, 400 mg/kg per day for 5 days, was administered in cases 1 and 2. In both cases, clinical improvement was observed 3 days after the start of IVIg therapy and lasted for 2 to 3 months. We propose that IVIg therapy is an effective treatment for MuSK-positive seronegative MG, when conventional treatments have failed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan. takahashi.h@graduate.chiba-u.jp
authors.forename: Hirokatsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Takamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hattori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C095714:MUSK protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases