title: Epidemiology of myasthenia gravis with anti-muscle specific kinase antibodies in The Netherlands.
abstract: The epidemiology of myasthenia gravis subtypes and the frequency of antibodies to muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) was studied in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis without anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies who had an onset of symptoms between 1990 and 2004 in a well-defined region in The Netherlands. The nationwide prevalence and incidence of myasthenia gravis with anti-MuSK antibodies were also studied. MuSK antibodies were found in 22% of patients with generalised myasthenia gravis without anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Nationwide, 35 patients with MuSK myasthenia gravis were identified, yielding a prevalence of 1.9 per million (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22 to 2.59) and an annual incidence 0.10 per million person-years (95% CI 0.06 to 0.14).
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, J3-R 166, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. ehniks@lumc.nl
authors.forename: Erik H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Niks
authors.forename: Jan B M
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kuks
authors.forename: Jan J G M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verschuuren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C095714:MUSK protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases