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Current and emerging treatments for the management of myasthenia gravis

Sivakumar Sathasivam1

  • 1The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Liverpool, UK.

Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management
|August 17, 2011
PubMed

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder. There are several treatment options, including symptomatic treatment (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors), short-term immunosuppression (corticosteroids), long-term immunosuppression (azathioprine, cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab, tacrolimus), rapid acting short-term immunomodulation (intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange), and long-term immunomodulation (thymectomy). This review explores in detail these different treatment options. Potential future treatments are also discussed.

Keywords:
acetylcholinesterase inhibitionimmunomodulationimmunosuppressionthymectomy

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