The relationship between β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms and early onset Myasthenia Gravis / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the correlation of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) polymorphisms (Arg16Gly) with early onset Myasthenia Gravis (MG). Methods Forty-eight with age less than 40 years at disease onset were divided into three groupsnormal thymus (13 cases), thymic hyperplasia (22 cases) and thymoma (7 cases) groups according to the thymus histology. These patients were further divided into different subgroups including female (31 cases) and male groups (17 cases) based on the gender, OMG (29 cases) and GMG (19 cases) groups according to the symptom of disease onset and groups associated with (10 cases) or without (33cases) other autoimmune diseases Or with unknown causes (5 cases). The genotypes ofβ2-AR in 48 early onset MG were determined by gene sequencing. Results Arg/Arg was more common in early MG patient with normal thymus ( 53.8%)and thymic hyperplasia(54.6%)whereas Arg/Gly was more common in thymus group(71.4%). The difference in distribution of the genotypes between the three groups was not statis?tically significant (χ2=5.657,P=0.226). Arg/Arg was more common in early female MG patient (58.1%) and Arg/Gly was more common in male MG patients (58.8%). The difference in distribution of the genotypes between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.064,P=0.048). Arg/Arg was more common in early OMG patient (48.3%). Arg/Arg(42.1%) and Arg/Gly(47.4%) were equal common in GMG patients. The difference in distribution of the genotypes between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=1.623,P=0.444). Arg/Arg was more common in early MG patient associated with other autoimmune diseases (80.0%). Arg/Gly was more common in MG patients without other autoimmune diseases (39.4%). The difference in distribution of the genotypes between the three groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.394, P=0.041). Conclusionβ2-AR gene polymorphism in position 16 is associated with gender and other autoimmune diseas?es in patients with early onset of MG.