The occurrence of anti-titin antibodies and thymomas: a population survey of MG 1970-1999.
Neurology
; 59(1): 92-8, 2002 Jul 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12105313
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To estimate the incidence of elevated anti-titin antibodies titers and of thymomas in a population of patients with MG using various statistics and associations.METHODS:
Extensive epidemiology, systematic measurement of anti-titin antibodies, and histologic assessment of thymomas according to the new World Health Organization classification.RESULTS:
The mean annual incidence rate of MG per million population was 8.3. The analogous mean rate of thymomas was 2.0, out of which MG was encountered in about 20%. A thymoma was coexistent in 7% of the patients with MG. The finding of titin autoantibodies and the coexistence of thymomas were both associated with age at the appearance of MG. In patients with MG with a thymoma, the frequency of seropositivity was 68%, whereas acetylcholine receptor (AChR) autoantibodies were detected in all such sera. Titin autoantibody-positive sera were also anti-AChR antibodies positive. Further, all serum samples negative for anti-AChR antibodies were devoid of anti-titin antibodies. Titin autoantibodies were not detected in nonthymoma early-onset MG.CONCLUSION:
Apart from MG with a thymoma, the finding of the titin autoantibodies was observed to be an exclusive feature of late-onset MG, the frequency being 55%. No data were found to suggest that patients with MG were more likely to present with thymic tumors than other patients exhibiting thymic neoplasia. In about 80%, such tumors in MG were composed of cortical cells. The concept of the anti-titin antibodies merely as a paraneoplastic marker in MG was not supported by these data.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Proteínas Quinases
/
Timoma
/
Neoplasias do Timo
/
Proteínas Musculares
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2002
Tipo de documento:
Article