ASPECTS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS: CRISIS AND DEATH
- 16 December 1981
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 377 (1) , 670-677
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1981.tb33765.x
Abstract
In an analysis of myasthenia crises during the past 20 years, the incidence of crisis remained fairly constant at 12-16%, but the fatality rate of crises declined from 42% to 6%, and the overall mortality of myasthenia declined from 12% to 3.3%. Most crisis episodes were caused by aspiration pneumonia or occurred in patients with severe dysphagia, who were at risk of aspiration. Cholinergic drug therapy clearly was not useful during crisis, and should probably be discontinued while the patient is on a respirator. Fifteen of 28 patients with thymectomy had 21 episodes of crisis months or years after surgery. Ultimately, 42% of crisis survivors achieved a state of improved myasthenia or remission after one or more crises.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- CRISIS, PRECRISIS AND DRUG RESISTANCE IN MYASTHENIA GRAVISAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1966
- Studies in Myasthenia Gravis: Reduction in Mortality Rate After CrisisPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1963
- Fatalities in Myasthenia GravisNeurology, 1956