Myasthenia gravis: predictive factors associated with the synchronized elevation of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody titer in Kanazawa, Japan

Abstract

For a brief period, an increased incidence of elevated anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody titer was observed in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) in Kanazawa, Japan. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive factors associated with this antibody titer elevation. Decreased odds of titer elevation were seen in patients with early-onset MG than in those with late-onset MG. In patients with non-thymoma-related MG, thymectomy prevented the antibody titer elevation. Our data suggest that late-onset MG may have a different immunogenic response and the thymus might play an immunoregulatory role against extrinsic factors in some types of MG.

Keywords: Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody; Autoimmunity; Myasthenia gravis; Predictive factor.