The use of eculizumab in ventilator-dependent myasthenia gravis patients.
Muscle Nerve
; 64(2): 212-215, 2021 08.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1378943
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION/AIMS:
Eculizumab has been shown to be efficacious in acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+ ) Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class II, III, and IV generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) patients. However, it has not been studied in MGFA class V gMG patients.METHODS:
We report three AChR+ , refractory, MGFA class V gMG patients treated with eculizumab. MGFA class, MG-Composite (MGC) score and MG Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score were assessed before and after eculizumab.RESULTS:
Two of three gMG patients, refractory to intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, prednisone, and (in one case) rituximab, showed a robust response to eculizumab with marked improvement in MGFA, MG-ADL, and MGC measures. The third patient showed a partial response to eculizumab but remained on noninvasive ventilation and gastrostomy intubation. Patients 1 and 2 achieved minimal manifestation status at week 4 and week 6, respectively, and showed continued improvement on MG-ADL and MGC scores through weeks 55 and 43, respectively, with eculizumab. The third patient showed a partial response at week 10, followed by a slight decline in his MG-ADL score, but noted a slow but an incomplete improvement afterward on MG-ADL and MGC scores, possibly due to delayed eculizumab infusion.DISCUSSION:
Eculizumab may play a role in the treatment of patients with MGFA class V, refractory gMG. Larger studies are required to provide further evidence.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ventilators, Mechanical
/
Complement Inactivating Agents
/
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
/
Myasthenia Gravis
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Muscle Nerve
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Mus.27326
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