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Successful treatment of myasthenia gravis with tacrolimus

Amelia Evoli1, Chiara Di Schino, Francesca Marsili

  • 1Institute of Neurology, Catholic University, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. a.evoli@vsb.it

Muscle & Nerve
|December 26, 2001
PubMed

Tacrolimus (FK-506) is a calcium-calcineurin inhibitor, successfully used in transplant recipients. We report the successful use of tacrolimus as a single immunosuppressant in a patient who had developed myasthenia gravis (MG) during interferon alpha treatment. In this case, the coexistence of hepatitis C and type 2 diabetes mellitus contraindicated the use of both steroids and azathioprine, and cyclosporine A, although effective, had induced renal failure. Tacrolimus proved to be effective in the treatment of MG, was not significantly hepatotoxic, and was less nephrotoxic than cyclosporine.

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