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Treatment of myasthenia gravis with high‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin
Author(s) -
Cosi V.,
Lombardi M.,
Piccolo G.,
Erbetta A.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1991.tb04912.x
Subject(s) - myasthenia gravis , medicine , refractory (planetary science) , gamma globulin , anesthesia , gastroenterology , antibody , surgery , immunology , physics , astrobiology
We treated 37 patients affected by autoimmune generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) with high‐dose intravenous gammaglobulin (HDIVIg), 400 mg/kg per day on 5 consecutive days. A one‐degree improvement of Oosterhuis global clinical classification of myasthenic severity (OGCCMS), the disappearance of bulbar involvement or both were recorded 12 days after the beginning of the treatment in 70.3% of the patients and persisted up to 60 days in 58.7%. A two‐degree improvement of OGCCMS was recorded in 54.1% of the patients and it was maintained up to 60 days in 37.8%. The percentage of improvement did not significantly differ between patients entering the treatment in a long‐standing, drug‐refractory stationary phase of the illness (n = 26) and patients who received HDIVIg in an acute phase of MG (n = 11). None of the patients experienced side effects. Our data indicates that HDIVIg is an interesting, virtually riskless therapeutic choice for MG patients, and allows the planning of a controlled trial versus plasma‐exchange.