Leukocyte and lymphoid cell counts in myasthenia gravis

Serial leukocyte counts and lymphoid cell counts were compared before and after thymectomy via sternal-splitting incision in 50 patients with myasthenia gravis. Leukocyte counts and lymphoid cell counts of the thymectomized patients also were compared to those of 30 non-thymectomized myasthenic patients and 150 non-myasthenic patient controls. While mean leukocyte counts did not change significantly before and 5.5 plus or minus 5 years after thymectomy, mean lymphoid cell counts were slightly lower during this observation period post-thymectomy (t equals 1.918, p equals 0.03). Lower lymphoid cell counts appeared to correlate with a favorable response of myasthenia gravis in patients with thymic hyperplasia and mainly involuted thymus.