2021, Volume 14, Issue 1, pp 7 – 16

The epidemiology of myasthenia gravis

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Authors and Affiliations

Vitalie Lisnic, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurology, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Korolenko str., MD – 2028, Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova. Fax: +373-022737200. Phone: +373-79456641. E-mail: vitalie.lisnic@usmf.md

Abstract

Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disorders include several dysfunctions that ultimately lead to muscle weakness. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most prevalent NMJ disorder with a highly polymorphic clinical presentation and many different faces. Being an autoimmune disease, MG correlates with the presence of detectable antibodies directed against the acetylcholine receptor, muscle-specific kinase, lipoprotein-related protein 4, agrin, titin, and ryanodine in the postsynaptic membrane at the NMJ. MG has become a prototype serving to understand both autoimmunity and the function of the NMJ better. The aim of this review is to synthesize some of the epidemiological data available. Epidemiological data regarding MG are important for postulating hypotheses regarding its etiology and facilitating the description of MG subtypes. Thus, adequate documentation through broad databases is essential. The incidence and prevalence of MG reported around the globe have been rising steadily and consistently over the past decades. Ethnic aspects, gender-related differences, and environmental risk factors have been described, implying that these might contribute to a specific phenotype, further suggesting that MG may be considered an umbrella term that covers several clinical entities.

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About this article

PMC ID: 7982252
PubMed ID: 33767779
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2020-0145

Article Publishing Date (print): Jan-Feb 2021
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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