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Case Reports
. 2014 Jan-Feb;21(1):e1-3.
doi: 10.1155/2014/914719. Epub 2013 Sep 12.

Severe asthma associated with myasthenia gravis

Natasha Satkunam, Zaeem A Siddiqi, Dilini Vethanayagam
Case Reports

Severe asthma associated with myasthenia gravis

Natasha Satkunam et al. Can Respir J. 2014 Jan-Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

Severe asthma constitutes a subgroup of approximately 10% of all asthma cases. Approximately one-half of these individuals have a refractory form of the disease in which atopy and T-helper cell 2-skewed immunological response may not be as closely linked to the disease as in other phenotypes of asthma. This suggests that not all asthma is explained by a T-helper cell 2-skewed immunological response, and that other immunological mechanisms may be important in this category of nonatopic asthma. The authors present a case involving a 55-year-old Caucasian man with nonatopic, adult-onset asthma, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug sensitivity and idiopathic urticaria. This individual presented two years following his initial asthma diagnosis with diplopia and mild ptosis, and was subsequently diagnosed with seropositive myasthenia gravis.

L’asthme sévère représente un sous-groupe d’environ 10 % de tous les cas d’asthme. Environ la moitié d’entre eux ont une forme réfractaire de la maladie, pour laquelle l’atopie et la réponse immunologique faussée par les lymphocytes T auxiliaires 2 ne seraient pas aussi liées à la maladie que dans les autres phénotypes d’asthme. D’après cette constatation, tous les cas d’asthme ne s’expliquent pas par une réponse immunologique faussée par les lymphocytes T auxiliaires 2, et d’autres mécanismes immunologiques pourraient avoir de l’importance dans cette catégorie d’asthme non atopique. Les auteurs présentent le cas d’un homme blanc de 55 ans ayant un asthme non atopique apparu à l’âge adulte, une sensibilité aux anti-inflammatoires non stéroïdiens et une urticaire idiopathique. Deux ans après son diagnostic initial d’asthme, il a consulté en raison d’une diplopie et d’une ptose bénigne, et on lui a ensuite diagnostiqué une myasthénie grave séropositive.

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