title: Myasthenia gravis Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess whether a myasthenia gravis (MG) Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome (MLOS) exists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case reports that met the universally accepted diagnostic criteria for MG and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) were sought through a PubMed search. Fifty-five possible cases of MLOS were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine cases met the diagnostic criteria for MG and LEMS. Analysis of clinical features showed that these patients have common MG and LEMS symptoms: oculo-bulbar paresis and good response to anti-cholinesterase for MG and limb weakness and decreased or absent reflexes for LEMS. All had the classical LEMS pattern in the repetitive nerve stimulation test: low compound muscle action potential amplitude and incremental response > 60% with brief exercise or at high rate of stimulation. Eight patients had combined positive acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-ab) or muscle-specific kinase-ab and voltage-gated calcium channel- ab tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A myasthenia gravis Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome (MLOS) does exist.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Shin J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000276:immunology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015624:Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D039781:PubMed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C095714:MUSK protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D002802:Cholinesterases
keywords: LEMS; Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; MG; MLOS; myasthenia gravis; myasthenia gravis Lambert-Eaton overlap syndrome; myasthenic syndrome