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Correlating extent of neuromuscular instability with acetylcholine receptor antibodies
Author(s) -
Farrugia Maria E.,
Jacob Saiju,
Sarrigiannis Ptolemaios G.,
Kennett Robin P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.21156
Subject(s) - myasthenia gravis , extensor digitorum communis , acetylcholine receptor , neuromuscular transmission , titer , antibody , motor unit , antibody titer , orbicularis oculi muscle , medicine , electromyography , endocrinology , biology , receptor , anatomy , immunology , surgery , physical medicine and rehabilitation , eyelid
In a retrospective study of 86 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), we correlated the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody titers with single‐fiber EMG studies to explore whether a relationship exists between these parameters. We found that the AChR antibody titers correlated significantly with the mean of the mean consecutive difference of orbicularis oculi (OO, P < 0.0001) and extensor digitorum communis (EDC, P < 0.0001). The correlation was found to be stronger in OO. The antibody titers also correlated with the percentage of potential pairs with increased jitter in both muscles and, again, the correlation was more significant in OO ( P < 0.0001) than in EDC ( P = 0.001). We speculate that this relationship is stronger in OO than in the limb muscles, because the architectural and immunological differences in the motor unit render OO more vulnerable and sensitive to disturbances in neuromuscular transmission. Muscle Nerve, 2009