Clinical features of myasthenia gravis in southern China: a retrospective review of 2,154 cases over 22 years.
The objectives of the study are to study the clinical features of myasthenia gravis in southern China. A retrospective study was carried out on all patients who were diagnosed with myasthenia gravis at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University during 1987-2009. Of the 2,154 myasthenia gravis patients, the gender ratio (male:female) was 1:1.15. The median age at onset was 18 years. There was a single peak distribution of age at onset, and 44.8 % were children (≤ 14 years) at first onset. 1,766 patients (82.0 %) only had ocular symptoms at onset. 1,451 patients (67.4 %) were classified as Osserman grade I. 250 unselected patients received anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies test, in which only 51.2 % were positive. Computed tomography scan/magnetic resonance Imaging of chest were done in 1,354 patients, of which 899 patients (66.4 %) had thymic hyperplasia and 201(14.8 %) had thymoma. There were 150 patients (7.0 %) with myasthenia gravis combined with other autoimmune diseases, in which hyperthyroidism was most common (84 %). 189 (8.8 %) patients experienced 267 episodes of crisis. The rate of family myasthenia gravis was 1.6 % (35/2,154). In conclusion, the clinical features and demography of myasthenia gravis patients in this study are significantly different from prior studies on other regions and ethnic groups.
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen Uni, 58 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China. huangxin84513@yahoo.com.cn
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X
Huang
W B
WB
Liu
L N
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Men
H Y
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Feng
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Li
C M
CM
Luo
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Qiu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic