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- Title
Predicting the course of myasthenic weakness following double filtration plasmapheresis.
- Authors
Yeh, J.-H.; Chen, W.-H.; Chiu, H.-C.
- Abstract
Objective – To evaluate the clinical course of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) up to 3 months after double filtration plasmapheresis (DFP). Material and methods – We recorded the MG score and measured the level of acetylcholine receptor antibody (AchRAb) at baseline and day 1 (D1), week 1 (W1), 1 month (M1), 2 (M2) and 3 months (M3) after DFP in 16 MG patients. Based on the difference in score during follow-up, we divided our patients into clinical improvement (CI) and clinical worsening (CW) groups. Results – The MG score decreased in all courses from a mean of 8.1 at baseline to 5.6 at D1, and to 4.7, 4.0, 3.8, and 3.7 at W1, M1, M2, and M3, respectively. In the CW group, AchRAb levels were significantly higher at M1 (P = 0.022). The AchRAb level at W1 correlated significantly with the MG score at M3 (P = 0.027) and the changes of MG score from W1 to M1 (P = 0.029). The ratio of AchRAb levels of M1 to W1 correlated well with MG score at W1 (P = 0.032), at M3 (P = 0.001), and the changes of MG score from W1 to M1 (P = 0.004). Conclusion – Excessive rebounds of AchRAb level at W1 may suggest clinical worsening and further increases in AchRAb level at M1 predict poorer outcome after DFP.
- Subjects
MYASTHENIA gravis; PLASMAPHERESIS; PLASMA exchange (Therapeutics); NEUROMUSCULAR diseases; THERAPEUTICS; PATIENTS
- Publication
Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 2003, Vol 108, Issue 3, p174
- ISSN
0001-6314
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1034/j.1600-0404.2003.00107.x