Anti-acetylcholine-receptor antibody concentrations after thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Serum concentrations of anti-acetylcholine-receptor (anti-AChR) antibody were measured in patients with myasthenia gravis. In those patients undergoing thymectomy concentrations were measured before and after the operation to see whether there might be a connection between the thymus and antibody production. We found no correlation between antibody concentration and either thymectomy or duration and severity of the disease before the operation. Our results suggest that if anti-AChR antibodies are the principal pathogenic factor in myasthenia gravis then immunological and neurophysical variables other than the total serum anti-AChR antibody concentration contribute to the severity of the disease.