We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Comorbidity in myasthenia gravis: multicentric, hospital-based, and controlled study of 178 Italian patients.
- Authors
Di Stefano, Vincenzo; Iacono, Salvatore; Militello, Massimiliano; Leone, Olga; Rispoli, Marianna Gabriella; Ferri, Laura; Ajdinaj, Paola; Lanza, Placido; Lupica, Antonino; Crescimanno, Grazia; Monastero, Roberto; Di Muzio, Antonio; Brighina, Filippo
- Abstract
Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder with fluctuating weakness that causes significant disability and morbidity. Comorbidities may influence the course of MG, particularly in specific subgroups. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of comorbidities in MG patients compared to healthy controls (HC) and to evaluate their distribution according to age at disease onset, sex, and disease severity. Methods: MG patients attending the University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone" in Palermo and "SS Annunziata" Hospital in Chieti were enrolled; HC were enrolled from the general population. Non-parametric statistics and logistic regression were used to assess the association of specific comorbidities according to age at disease onset, sex, disease subtypes, and severity of the disease. Results: A total of 356 subjects were included in the study: 178 MG patients (46% F; median age 60 years [51–71]) and 178 sex- and age-matched HC (46% F, median age 59 years [50–66]). Overall, 86% of MG patients and 76% of HC suffered from comorbidities, and MG patients had a higher number of comorbidities compared to HC. Patients with late-onset suffered from more comorbidities than those with early-onset MG. Hypertension was more common in male patients with MG, while thymic hyperplasia, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases were more common in females. Respiratory disorders and thymoma were more common in patients with more severe disease (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusion: MG patients, particularly those with late onset, showed a higher prevalence of comorbidities than HC. Assessment of comorbidities in MG is an essential issue to identify the appropriate treatment and achieve the best management.
- Subjects
PALERMO (Italy); MYASTHENIA gravis; NONPARAMETRIC statistics; COMORBIDITY; REGRESSION analysis; AUTOIMMUNE diseases; AGE of onset
- Publication
Neurological Sciences, 2024, Vol 45, Issue 7, p3481
- ISSN
1590-1874
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10072-024-07368-0