title: Widely varying TNF-alpha levels in patients with myasthenia gravis.
abstract: Animal studies have indicated an important role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG), and trials of monoclonal antibodies that block TNF-alpha have shown clinical improvement. However, before a TNF-alpha blocking agent is proposed for treatment of MG, whether serum TNF-alpha level correlates with the patient's condition should be confirmed. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between the serum TNF-alpha level and clinical factors, including the quantitative MG score and the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody level, in 33 MG patients. TNF-alpha levels ranged from 0.44 to 3.63 pg/mL and did not correlate with clinical factors. Overall, we found that serum TNF-alpha levels varied greatly among MG patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Wonchon-dong, Suwon, 442-721, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Soo
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Jung Im
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Seok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000276:immunology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha