2021/05/19 by Uzma Usman, Christina Chrisman, Drew Houston +3 · 40 citations
Medicine · #Adrenal Hormones and Disorders #Antibody #Complement system #Eculizumab #Gastroenterology #Immunology #Internal medicine #Medicine #Myasthenia Gravis and Thymoma #Myasthenia gravis #Peripheral Neuropathies and Disorders #Plasmapheresis #Refractory (planetary science) #Rituximab
paper · doi:10.1002/mus.27326
published in Muscle & Nerve 64(2), 212-215 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2021/05/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
INTRODUCTION/AIMS: ) Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class II, III, and IV generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) patients. However, it has not been studied in MGFA class V gMG patients. METHODS: , refractory, MGFA class V gMG patients treated with eculizumab. MGFA class, MG-Composite (MGC) score and MG Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score were assessed before and after eculizumab. RESULTS: Two of three gMG patients, refractory to intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, prednisone, and (in one case) rituximab, showed a robust response to eculizumab with marked improvement in MGFA, MG-ADL, and MGC measures. The third patient showed a partial response to eculizumab but remained on noninvasive ventilation and gastrostomy intubation. Patients 1 and 2 achieved minimal manifestation status at week 4 and week 6, respectively, and showed continued improvement on MG-ADL and MGC scores through weeks 55 and 43, respectively, with eculizumab. The third patient showed a partial response at week 10, followed by a slight decline in his MG-ADL score, but noted a slow but an incomplete improvement afterward on MG-ADL and MGC scores, possibly due to delayed eculizumab infusion. DISCUSSION: Eculizumab may play a role in the treatment of patients with MGFA class V, refractory gMG. Larger studies are required to provide further evidence.