title: [Effects of thymectomy on bone age and height development in juvenile myasthenia gravis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of clinical indicators, particularly thymectomy on the development of juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) through the developmental status of bone age (BA) and height.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of 80 JMG patients was recruited to examine whether JMG patients had the abnormalities of height and bone development according to the distribution of height standard deviation score (Ht SDS) and BA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean BA was delayed by (0.15 ± 1.32) years compared with patient chronological age (CA). The mean Ht SDS (HtCA SDS -1.25 ± 1.03) was also lower than healthy controls. In multivariate analysis, the age at onset was negatively associated with delayed BA (P=0.007) whereas the cumulative intake of prednisone was negatively associated with HtCA SDS (P=0.043). No significant correlation existed between thymectomy and delayed BA or HtCA SDS. Delayed BA and slow growth existed in JMG patients. The age at onset of JMG was a correlative factor for delayed BA. And the intake of cumulative prednisone might be a determinant of height retardation. Thymectomy had no impact on the development of bone and height.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We should pay more attention to monitoring BA and height in JMG patients to take appropriate therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Neurological Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fansen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Email: ranliuz@163.com.
authors.forename: Weibin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Huiyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ruxun
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001842:Bone and Bones; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis; D013934:Thymectomy