Co-morbid auto-immune disorders may affect 0.2% of the population. We present the clinical and electrodiagnostic findings of 2 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and myasthenia gravis from a Brazilian cohort of 218 inflammatory bowel disease patients. Patient 1: A 40year-old man was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 37 and underwent total colectomy 3years later. After prednisone was tapered, he experienced a clinical relapse and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. He then developed quadriparesis, bilateral ptosis, dysphagia and dysarthria. Patient 2: A 41year-old woman (diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis at age 35) developed speech impairment and ptosis. On both patients, symptoms quickly progressed over few weeks. Myasthenia gravis was diagnosed and confirmed by abnormal repetitive nerve stimulation and elevated anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody titers. Pyridostigmine and prednisone successfully treated both patients. Myasthenia gravis prevalence over 9years was 0.9%. Myasthenia gravis clinical course was not significantly modified by inflammatory bowel disease relapses and should be suspected with new onset weakness.
Keywords: Auto-immune diseases; Crohn disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Myasthenia gravis; Ulcerative colitis.
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