Frequency of Autoimmune Diseases in Myasthenia Gravis: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT The course of myasthenia gravis (MG) may get complicated by the development of other autoimmune diseases. Estimates of the frequency of autoimmune diseases will help inform patients and physicians, direct health policy discussion, provide etiologic clues, and optimize the management of MG....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of neuroscience 2011-03, Vol.121 (3), p.121-129
Main Authors: Mao, Zhi-Feng, Yang, Long-Xiu, Mo, Xue-An, Qin, Chao, Lai, Yong-Rong, He, Ning-Yu, Li, Tong, Hackett, Maree L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autoimmune diseases
Autoimmune Diseases - epidemiology
Bias
Comorbidity
Disease Susceptibility
Female
frequency
Humans
Incidence
Male
myasthenia
Myasthenia Gravis - epidemiology
Myasthenia Gravis - immunology
Odds Ratio
Research Design
Sex Factors
systematic review
Thyroiditis, Autoimmune - epidemiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT The course of myasthenia gravis (MG) may get complicated by the development of other autoimmune diseases. Estimates of the frequency of autoimmune diseases will help inform patients and physicians, direct health policy discussion, provide etiologic clues, and optimize the management of MG. However, the frequency of autoimmune diseases in people with MG is still uncertain. A systematic search for English language studies was conducted by MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1960 through 2010. Incidence studies and case series of all MG subtypes with information about autoimmune diseases were included; 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Although there was considerable heterogeneity, the pooled estimate of the coexisting autoimmune diseases in MG was 13% (95% confidence interval, 12%-14%). Autoimmune thyroid disease seems to occur more frequently than other autoimmune conditions in MG patients. Heterogeneity in study estimates could be explained by ascertainment bias and case mix. Furthermore, autoimmune diseases occurred significantly more often in females and anti-acetylcholine receptor seropositive MG patients. Patients with MG have an increased frequency of coexisting autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases seem to occur more often in female and seropositive MG patients. Further research is needed to expand our understanding of these associations.
ISSN:0020-7454
1563-5279
1543-5245
DOI:10.3109/00207454.2010.539307