Clinical features and outcomes of patients with muscle-specific kinase antibody-positive myasthenia gravis in Japan

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2023.578241
• Publication Date: 2023-11-07T03:57:36Z
• Authors: Manato Yasuda; Akiyuki Uzawa; Satoshi Kuwabara; Shigeaki Suzuki; Hiroyuki Akamine; Yosuke Onishi; Yukiko Ozawa; Naoki Kawaguchi; Tomoya Kubota; Masanori P. Takah...; Yasushi Suzuki; Genya Watanabe; Takashi Kimura; Takamichi Sugimoto; Makoto Samukawa; Naoya Minami; Masayuki Masuda; Shingo Konno; Yuriko Nagane; Kimiaki Utsugisawa
• Keywords: Refractory (planetary science); Prednisolone

This study included 51 patients with muscle-specific kinase antibody-positive myasthenia gravis (MuSK-MG) from a Japanese multicenter survey to examine clinical features and outcomes. Median onset age was 37 years and female predominance was observed. All patients developed generalized symptoms and almost all (50/51) patients had bulbar symptoms. About half of the patients met the criteria for refractory MG. The refractory group had a lower age of onset, higher severity scores, and higher maximum daily doses of oral prednisolone compared to the nonrefractory group. The outcomes for MuSK-MG patients in Japan are not favorable, indicating the need for more aggressive treatment.