Associated disorders in myasthenia gravis: autoimmune diseases and their relation to thymectomy

The prevalence of myasthenia gravis (MG) in the counties of Hordaland and Sogn & Fjordane on January 1, 1984 was 9.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. Other autoimmune diseases were found in 11 out of 48 MG patients. The occurrence of autoimmune thyroiditis (5 patients, 10.4%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (4 patients, 8.3%) in the MG patients was clearly higher than that reported in the general population. Rheumatoid arthritis was found in 2 patients (4.2%). The autoimmune diseases were mainly recorded among the nonthymectomized MG patients. In addition to those with definite diseases of autoimmune nature, 3 other MG patients had thyroid antibodies and 1 had antinuclear factor without clinical evidence of autoimmune disease. Seven MG patients (14.6%) had unspecific arthralgia during active periods of MG. Two MG patients had ankylosing spondylitis.