Myasthenia gravis: a population based epidemiological study in Cambridgeshire, England

Robertson, Neil ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5409-4909, Deans, J. and Compston, D. A. 1998. Myasthenia gravis: a population based epidemiological study in Cambridgeshire, England. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 65 (4) , pp. 492-496. 10.1136/jnnp.65.4.492

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To perform a comprehensive survey of myasthenia gravis in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, establishing contemporary epidemiological data. METHODS: Cases were ascertained from multiple sources. Prevalent patients were visited and assessed by means of a standardised questionnaire and examination complemented by review of medical case notes. RESULTS: One hundred cases were identified in a population of 684000 (prevalence 15 per 100000 population, 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) 12-18). Thirty eight new diagnoses were made over a five year period providing an incidence of 1.1/100000 population/year. The sex ratio was 2:1 F:M. After a mean follow up of 11.7 years, symptomatic disease was still restricted to ocular muscles in 25 patients. Thirty four of 100 patients underwent thymectomy a mean of 0.8 years after presentation, and a thymoma was present in 12. Highest remission rates were seen in patients presenting with generalised disease who underwent thymectomy but did not have a thymoma (27%). Cosegregation of an additional autoimmune disease occurred in 27 patients and in 24/49 (49%) women with onset<50 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: This, the second highest reported prevalence for myasthenia, is likely to be the result of optimum case ascertainment, increased disease duration, application of complex diagnostic tests, and the impact of an aging population leading to a relative increase in the prevalence of ocular myasthenia.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) Medicine
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Publisher:	BMJ Publishing Group
ISSN:	0022-3050
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2022 09:34
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/81568

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