title: Construction of an efficient evaluative instrument for myasthenia gravis: the MG composite.
abstract: We assessed the performance of items from the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG), MMT (Manual Muscle Test), and MG-ADL (Myasthenia Gravis - Activities of Daily Living) scales, using data from two recently completed treatment trials of generalized MG. Items were selected that were relevant to manifestations of MG, meaningful to both the physician and the patient, and responsive to clinical change. After the 10 items were chosen, they were weighted based on input from MG experts from around the world, considering factors such as quality of life, disease severity, risk, prognosis, validity, and reliability. The MG Composite is easy to administer, takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and requires no equipment. Weighting of the response options of the 10 items should result in ordinal scores that better represent MG status and are more responsive to meaningful clinical change. To better determine its suitability for clinical use and for treatment trials, the MG Composite will be tested prospectively at several academic medical centers and will be used as a secondary measure of efficacy in pending clinical trials of MG.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, Department of Neurology, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA. tmb8r@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Ted M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Conaway
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Cutter
authors.forename: Donald B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sanders
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001763:Blepharoptosis / Q000209:etiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004172:Diplopia / Q000209:etiology; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000209:etiology; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D006801:Humans; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D010807:Physical Endurance; D011788:Quality of Life; D012015:Reference Standards; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies