title: Clinical features of patients with myasthenia gravis associated with autoimmune diseases.
abstract: We investigated the incidence and clinical features of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) associated with autoimmune diseases. Associated autoimmune diseases were found in 28 of 142 consecutive Japanese MG patients (19.7%), amongst which Graves' disease (7.7%) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (4.2%) were predominant. The clinical features of MG patients with Graves' disease were different from those of MG patients without autoimmune diseases in terms of age at onset of MG symptoms (35.5 +/- 4.0 years and 49.0 +/- 1.7 years; P < 0.05), positivity for the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (44.4% and 89.8%; P < 0.05), and association with thymic hyperplasia (72.7 and 17.9%; P < 0.05). The therapeutic outcome of MG patients with Graves' disease and that of those without autoimmune diseases were not significantly different. Further studies should be performed to investigate whether MG associated with Graves' disease is a distinct subtype of MG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Asahimachi-dori, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimohata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D013952:Thymus Hyperplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic