Morbidity analysis of verified cases of myasthenia gravis in central Kazakhstan

Abstract

Introduction.Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that manifests itself as a syndrome of pathological muscle fatigue. Epidemiological studies show a change in the course of the disease due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The purpose of the study. Analysis of features of cohort of patients with myasthenia gravis in Central Kazakhstan.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of case histories of 98 patients with myasthenia gravis treated from January 2020 to December 2022 in the neurological departments of Karaganda region (Central Kazakhstan) was carried out.Results. The ratio of men and women was 1:2.2. 46% of patients had onset of the disease aged 18 to 39 years. In the debut of disease, the ocular and generalized forms are presented in an equal ratio. Comorbidity prevails in the elderly. CT-signs of thymoma were detected in 23% of patients. All the studied patients received therapy with pyridostigmine bromide, glucocorticoids; cytostatic therapy – 1 patient; immunoglobulin G – 1 patient; there were no patients with therapy with monoclonal antibodies.Conclusions. There are gender and age characteristics, differences in the course of the disease and comorbidity in patients with myasthenia gravis in Central Kazakhstan, in comparison with other countries. Improvements are needed in the field of immunological diagnostics and, according to indications, the introduction of international treatment regimens.