• John Vissing, Sari Atula, Mari Savolainen, Juha Mehtälä, Laila Mehkri, Tina Bech Olesen, Tero Ylisaukko-Oja, Ingrid Lindberg-Schager, Fredrik Berggren, and Fredrik Piehl.
• Copenhagen Neuromuscular Center, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark john.vissing@regionh.dk.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2024 Sep 17; 95 (10): 919926919-926.

BackgroundIncidence and prevalence rates of myasthenia gravis (MG) vary considerably across studies, and mortality risk is rarely addressed. We examined the prevalence and incidence rates, mortality and factors associated with mortality with MG.MethodThis was a registry linkage study based on nationwide health and administrative registries of Denmark, Finland and Sweden (populations of 5.9, 5.6 and 10.5 million, respectively). Patients with MG were identified based on International Classification of Diseases codes from inpatient and outpatient specialised care registries. Yearly prevalence, incidence and mortality rates in relation to the total background population were calculated from 2000 to 2020 (study period). The causes of death and factors associated with mortality were addressed separately.ResultsThe overall incidence of MG was 1.34 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.41), 1.68 (95% CI 1.60 to 1.75) and 1.62 (95% CI 1.56 to 1.68) per 100 000, and the overall prevalence per 100 000 was 18.56 (95% CI 18.31 to 18.81), 20.89 (95% CI 20.62 to 21.16) and 23.42 (95% CI 23.21 to 23.64) in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, respectively. The overall standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was 1.32 (95% CI 1.23 to 1.42) among patients with MG in Denmark, 1.23 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.33) in Finland, and 1.20 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.26) in Sweden, with higher SMR observed in women than men. Annual incidence and prevalence increased over time, whereas the SMR remained stable. The most common causes of death were MG, chronic ischaemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction.ConclusionsThis population-based study from three Nordic countries highlights the need for improved care of patients with MG, especially young women.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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