Abstract | OBJECTIVE: DESIGN: Observational and retrospective case series. SETTING: Keio University, Hanamaki General Hospital, Kanazawa University, Nagasaki University, and Juntendo University. PATIENTS: INTERVENTIONS: RESULTS: Of 924 patients with MG, 8 (0.9%) had inflammatory myopathies. The mean (SD) onset age of MG was 55.3 (10.3) years. All patients showed severe symptoms with bulbar involvement; 5 patients had myasthenic crisis and 4 had invasive thymoma. Myocarditis was found in 3 patients and myositis in 6. Myocarditis, developing 13 to 211 months after the MG onset, was characterized by heart failure and arrhythmias. Myositis, developing before or at the same time as MG, affected limb and paraspinal muscles. Histological findings of skeletal muscles showed CD8(+) lymphocyte infiltration. Seven patients had 1 of these antistriational autoantibodies but not myositis-specific autoantibodies. Immunomodulatory therapy was required for all patients and was effective for both MG and inflammatory myopathies, although 1 patient died. CONCLUSIONS: Heart and skeletal muscles are autoimmune targets in some patients with MG. This autoimmunity has a broad clinical spectrum with antistriational autoantibodies.
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Authors | Shigeaki Suzuki, Kimiaki Utsugisawa, Hiroaki Yoshikawa, Masakatsu Motomura, Shiro Matsubara, Kazumasa Yokoyama, Yuriko Nagane, Takahiro Maruta, Takashi Satoh, Hideki Sato, Masataka Kuwana, Norihiro Suzuki |
Journal | Archives of neurology
(Arch Neurol)
Vol. 66
Issue 11
Pg. 1334-8
(Nov 2009)
ISSN: 1538-3687 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 19752287
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Autoantibodies
- Autoantigens
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Autoantibodies
(blood, immunology)
- Autoantigens
(immunology)
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Muscle, Skeletal
(immunology)
- Myasthenia Gravis
(blood, complications, immunology)
- Myocarditis
(blood, etiology, immunology)
- Myocardium
(immunology)
- Myositis
(blood, etiology, immunology)
- Thymoma
(complications)
- Thymus Neoplasms
(complications)
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