Treatment of Myasthenia Gravis in Patients with Elderly Onset at Advanced Age.
The number of patients with late-onset myasthenia gravis (MG) among patients ≥50 years has been increasing recently. We encountered three patients who developed elderly-onset MG at a particularly advanced age (≥80 years). All were female and positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. About 4 years have passed since MG onset in all three patients and symptoms have been controlled without recurrence using a combination of oral low-dose prednisolone and tacrolimus. As many cases of elderly-onset MG do not require strong immunosuppression, we recommend minimum immunosuppressive treatment to avoid adverse events, particularly in patients at an advanced age of ≥80 years.
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Noriko
N
Nishikawa
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Masahiro
M
Nagai
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Tomoaki
T
Tsujii
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Win T
WT
Kyaw
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Nachi
N
Tanabe
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Hirotaka
H
Iwaki
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Hayato
H
Yabe
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Rina
R
Ando
Department of Neurology and Clinical Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa Tohon, Ehime, Japan.
Masahiro
M
Nomoto
elderly; myasthenia gravis; treatment