Introduction: Epidemiological studies on myasthenia gravis (MG) in Mexico is mainly derived from experiences in referral centers.
Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of hospital discharges during 2010 with the diagnosis of MG in adults hospitalized in the Mexican public health system.
Methods: We consulted the database of hospital discharges during 2010 of the National Health Information System (Ministry of Health, IMSS, IMSS oportunidades, ISSSTE, PEMEX, and the Ministry of Defense). The MG records were identified by the code G70.0 of the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision.
Results: During 2010 there were 5,314,132 hospital discharges (4,254,312 adults). Among them, 587 (0.01%) were adults with MG (median age: 47 years, 60% women). Women with MG were significantly younger than men (median age: 37 vs. 54 years, respectively; p < 0.001). The median hospital stay was six days. The case fatality rate was 3.4%, without gender differences. Age was associated with the probability of death.
Conclusions: We confirmed the bimodal age-gender distribution in MG. The in-hospital case fatality rate in Mexico is consistent with recent reports around the world.