title: Long-term effect of intravenous immunoglobulin on anti-MuSK antibody-positive myasthenia gravis.
abstract: Anti-muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody-positive myasthenia gravis (MG) patients show various responses to conventional immunosuppressive treatment and some patients are resistant to these therapies. We report a 50-year-old Japanese man with anti-MuSK antibody-positive MG, who showed no or poor response to various therapies, including plasmapheresis, corticosteroid, and tacrolimus. The patient was then treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and showed a good response that persisted over 20 months. The outcome of this case suggests that IVIG treatment may be an effective therapeutic option for anti-MuSK antibody-positive MG, with a potentially long-term effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. ashibata@med.kanasawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shibata-Hamaguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samuraki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Furui
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013995:Time; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C095714:MUSK protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases