Intravenous immunoglobulin for myasthenia gravis

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
P GajdosK Toyka

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease in which autoantibodies interfere with neuromuscular transmission. As with other autoimmune diseases, people with myasthenia gravis would be expected to benefit from intravenous immunoglobulin. The objective of this review was to examine the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin for treating exacerbations of myasthenia gravis or for chronic myasthenia gravis. We searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group trials register (March 2005) and MEDLINE (January 1966 to March 2005) using 'myasthenia gravis' and 'intravenous immunoglobulin' as the search terms. We included all randomised or quasi-randomised trials in which intravenous immunoglobulin was compared with no treatment, placebo or plasma exchange, in people with myasthenia gravis. One author extracted the data and the two others checked these data and the source from which they were derived. For methodological reasons, no formal meta-analysis was performed. We identified five randomised controlled trials, all of which investigated short-term benefit. The first study of 87 participants with exacerbation found no statistically significant difference between immunoglobulin and plasma exchange after two weeks. The second study of ...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 8, 2007·Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases·Vern C Juel, Janice M Massey
Sep 24, 2009·Neurocritical Care·Logan M McDaneldAnish Bhardwaj
Sep 18, 2008·European Journal of Neurology : the Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies·I ElovaaraUNKNOWN EFNS
Aug 1, 2008·Journal of Neuroimmunology·Sofie P M JanssenMario Losen

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