Clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis followed at the University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais.

OBJECTIVE

to determine the clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG); followed at the Neuromuscular Diseases Clinic of the University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to compare it with other Brazilian case series.

METHODS

sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from patients, and a systematic literature review performed, focusing on national studies on the clinical profile of MG patients.

RESULTS

sixty nine patients were enrolled in the study. Fifty five (91%) subjects were female and the mean age (SD) was 37.6 (± 11.4) years. The mean disease duration was 14.1 years. Regarding treatment, prednisone was the most used strategy (64%), followed by the use of azathioprine (43%). There was no difference between thymectomized (42) and non-thymectomized (27) patients regarding disease severity and medication use.

CONCLUSION

clinical and socio-demographic features of this MG sample from a University-based clinic resemble those reported in other Brazilian series and in the international literature.