Exploring the clinical significance of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody titers, changes, and change rates in Myasthenia Gravis.

Journal: Frontiers In Neurology
Published:
Abstract

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a common neuromuscular junction disorder that is primarily mediated by anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies (AChR-Ab). However, using AChR-Ab titers to predict MG severity and improvement remains controversial. This study aims to explore the relationship between AChR-Ab titers and AChR-Ab rate of change (RR-AChR-Ab, %) and MG scores. We used a prospective study approach, and included 62 patients with generalized MG (GMG) who were positive for AChR-Ab. We measured AChR-Ab titers, MGFA-QMGS, and MG-ADL scores at baseline (before treatment) and at 3 and 6 months into treatment. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were used to study the relationships between changes in AChR-Ab titers, rates of change, and MG scores. (1) At baseline, there was no correlation between AChR-Ab titers and age, duration of illness, gender, MGFA classification, or presence of thymic abnormalities. (2) The trend of decreasing AChR-Ab titers matched the trend of reduced QMGS and ADL scores. (3) Six months into treatment,there was a correlation between AChR-Ab titer changes and changes in ADL scores. (4) Three months into treatment, RR-AChRAb showed a correlation with the rate of change in ADL at the same time point. We found the trend of decreased AChR-Ab titers after standardized treatment that was consistent with reductions in QMGS and ADL scores. Additionally, the rate of change in AChR-Ab titers at 3 months and the change in AChR-Ab titers at 6 months into treatment did reflect improvements in activities of daily living for MG patients.

Authors
Lijun Luo, Xinyi Zhu, Chunbei Wen, Yifan Guo, Jie Yang, Dongsheng Wei, Ping Yu, Mei Wan
Relevant Conditions

Myasthenia Gravis