title: Home sleep study for patients with myasthenia gravis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to examine predictors for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) using Watch-PAT.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively studied 58 consecutive patients with MG without respiratory symptoms for a full-night Watch-PAT with concomitant recording of the MG score and acetylcholine receptor antibody concentration and analyzed potential risk factors of SDB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four patients (41%) had definitive SDB, which was mild in 12 patients, moderate in six, and severe in six. Assessing risk factors with multivariate models, we found four significant predictors (BMI, age, male gender, and use of azathioprine); BMI was the most powerful predictor. The severity and prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing had no significant association with MG score, myasthenia stage, or seropositivity of acetylcholine receptor antibody.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of SDB in myasthenic patients with mild and moderate weakness was high when using the Watch-PAT. Both myasthenia-specific factors (use of azathioprine) and general predictors in terms of BMI, age, and male gender predisposed the development of SDB in patients with myasthenia gravis. Careful screening of patients with myasthenia gravis at risk of SDB using Watch-PAT might improve the quality of sleep and cardiovascular health through proper treatment of underlying SDB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: J-H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.|Sleep Center, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: H-C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications*; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: acetylcholine receptor antibody; body mass index; myasthenia gravis; peripheral arterial tone; polysomnography; sleep-disordered breathing