Outcomes and characteristics of myasthenia gravis: A 10-year retrospective cross-sectional study at King Fahad Medical City

Abstract

Objectives:

To investigate the distribution of muscle weakness in Myasthenia gravis (MG) and the therapeutic response in each category.

Methods:

This is a retrospective cross-sectional study included all MG patients presented to our clinic between 2010 and 2020. The demographic, clinical, serological, electrophysiological, radiological, and histopathological data of the patients were recorded. The details of the treatment administered were also documented. Muscle weakness was divided into: ocular, bulbar, and generalized.

Results:

The mean age of the 147 patients included in this study was 34.2±16.6 years. The most common presentation was ocular MG (57.1%). There was no significant association between the gender of the patients and the MG subgroups. Antibodies against AChR were reported in 95.2%, 75%, and 87% of the patients with ocular, bulbar, and generalized myasthenia, respectively. Anti-MuSK antibodies were detected in 20% of the patients with bulbar weakness. Most of the patients with ocular (91.7%) and bulbar (90%) presentation developed generalized weakness. At the end of the follow-up, 82.6%, 70.2%, and 57.5% of the patients with generalized, ocular, and bulbar presentations, respectively demonstrated well-controlled weakness.

Conclusion:

The most common initial presentation was ocular weakness. Most patients with ocular and bulbar presentation developed generalized weakness during the follow up period. The most frequently reported autoantibody was against AChR. Most patients with generalized, ocular, and bulbar presentation demonstrated well-controlled weakness at the end of the follow up period.