[Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with myasthenia gravis]

To evaluate demographic and clinical features of the patients with myasthenia gravis.

Retrospective analysis of medical data on 82 patients with myasthenia gravis, referred to the University Hospital of Kaunas during 1992 to 2001.

More than a half of all patients with myasthenia gravis were female, and almost four fifths fell ill before the age of 50 years. The most common first sign of myasthenia gravis was unilateral or bilateral ptosis and diplopia. The Osserman-Genkins grade at onset was I in 34.1%, IIA in 35.4% and IIB in 30.5% of cases. Among thymectomised patients, the percentage of thymomas in late-onset group (> or = 50 years) was higher than in the early-onset group (< 50 years). Mortality rate was 7.3%. Myasthenic crisis was the main cause of death in all cases. Overall, 99% of patients were treated with acethylcholinesterase inhibitors and 92% with prednisolone at some time. Pharmacological remission was observed in more than 40% of patients. Prospective design of the study is recommended for the research of chronic noncommunicable diseases since it allows to evaluate the course and progression of the disease, effectiveness and side-effects of the treatment in more precise way. We used retrospective data in this study, therefore the results should be considered keeping in mind the possibility of bias and as the basis of prospective autoimmune myasthenia gravis studies in future.