Journal of clinical neuromuscular disease
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Juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction, at the postsynaptic end plate. JMG presents with fluctuating skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue before the age of 18 years. Very frequently JMG presents with the involvement of the oculomotor muscles, with or without generalized involvement. ⋯ Thymectomy was well tolerated by this group of children. There was clinical improvement after thymectomy in two thirds of the AchR-Ab-positive generalized myasthenia gravis patients. Thymic pathology was seen in less than one third of the patients who underwent thymectomy, with thymic hyperplasia being common. Further studies are necessary to determine whether thymectomy is indicated for all children with generalized JMG. More information about the immunologic, genetic, and molecular differences between patients may determine the best treatment for individual patients.
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J Clin Neuromuscul Dis · Mar 2013
Case ReportsPegylated interferon induced myasthenia crisis--a case report.
Interferons (IFNs) have antiviral, antimitogenic, and immunostimulatory effects and are often used in the treatment of viral hepatitis and some neoplasms. Combination pegylated IFN-alpha and ribavirin therapy is currently recommended for the treatment of hepatitis C. ⋯ There have also been reports outlining side effects associated with conventional IFN therapy and its immunostimulatory effects, which may cause autoimmune phenomena, including but not limited to Guillain-Barre syndrome, polymyositis, acute and chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy, and myasthenia gravis. Although a number of cases of interferon-induced myasthenia gravis have been reported, we present a case of interferon-induced myasthenia crisis that developed soon after retreatment of hepatitis C with combination interferon, ribavirin, and telaprevir.