Introduction: The pathophysiology of myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disease affecting the neuro-muscular junction, is closely related to thymic disorders (thymic hyperplasia, thymic involution, thymic neoplasms). Myasthenia gravis often causes or exacerbates thymus disease, which often occurs together with myasthenia gravis. Further studies are needed to determine the relationship between thymus properties and quantitative myasthenia gravis (QMG), swallowing, and respiratory function in patients with myasthenia gravis.
Methods: From 2021 to 2022, 93 MG patients with definite thymic disease were found by thymic CT or histopathological biopsy in the Myasthenia Gravis Treatment Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) score was used by physicians at the deputy high level and above to measure patients’ swallowing and respiratory function. The purpose of this study was to observe the relationship between myasthenia gravis thymic disease and QMG score, swallowing function score, and respiratory function score.
Results: The poor swallowing function score (3 points) accounted for 58.9%, 4.8%, and 13.6% in the thymoma group, thymic hyperplasia group, and thymus without abnormality group, respectively, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). The respiratory function score was poor (3 points), and the thymus group accounted for 58.7%, which was significantly higher than the thymic hyperplasia group and the thymus without abnormality group. There was significant difference between groups (P<0.05). Myasthenia gravis quantitative score (QMG)>20 points (severe), the thymoma group accounted for 77%, which was significantly larger than the thymic hyperplasia group, and the thymus group had no abnormality, and the difference between the groups was significant (P<0.05).
After multiple comparison test results, it was found that the QMG score of the thymoma group was 1.07298 higher than that of the normal thymus, and the difference was significant. The swallowing score of the thymoma group was 1.461 higher than that of the normal thymus group, and the difference was significant. The respiratory function score of the thymoma group was 0.832 higher than that of the normal thymus group, and the difference was significant. The lung function score of the thymoma group was significantly higher than that of the thymic hyperplasia group by 1.509.
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Liang, B., Kuang, Q., Li, H., Lin, Y., Lu, J., Jiang, Q., Yang, X. (2024) Correlation analysis of myasthenia gravis thymic disease with quantitative score of myasthenia gravis swallowing function and respiratory function. Scientific Research Bulletin, 1(4), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.71052/srb2024/RZZG2559