Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jan-Feb;32(1):1-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.nrl.2014.09.007. Epub 2014 Nov 11.

Prevalence of myasthenia gravis in the Catalan county of Osona

[Article in English, Spanish]
J M Aragonès  1 , J Altimiras  2 , P Roura  3 , F Alonso  4 , E Bufill  1 , A Munmany  5 , S Alfonso  1 , I Illa  6
Affiliations
Free article

Prevalence of myasthenia gravis in the Catalan county of Osona

[Article in English, Spanish]
J M Aragonès et al. Neurologia. 2017 Jan-Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Introduction: The reported prevalence of myasthenia gravis ranges between 5 and 24 cases per 100,000, and people over 65years account for less than 50% of all cases. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of myasthenia gravis in the county of Osona were studied in patients younger and older than 65.

Methods: The study draws from the county-based prospective myasthenia gravis register implemented by the Neurology Department at Hospital General de Vic in 1991.

Results: The prevalence of myasthenia gravis was 32.89×105 inhabitants (95%CI, 23.86-41.91). The standardized prevalence (European population) was 35.47×105 inhabitants (95%CI, 26.10-44.84). The ratio of women to men was 1.3. Overall, the group of patients older than 65 accounted for 62.75% of all cases. The prevalence of myasthenia gravis increased considerably in older age groups. No cases were registered among patients under 25years old, prevalence was 21.87×105 in the 25 to 64 age group, and prevalence in patients over 65 years increased to 122.35×105. The clinical characteristics prior to treatment and at the cut-off date are similar (P>.05) in patients younger than 65 and those aged 65 and older.

Conclusions: These figures show the highest prevalence rate reported to date. This high prevalence is due to the rate observed among patients older than 65. These results provide a new warning that myasthenia gravis may be underdiagnosed in the elderly population.

Keywords: Ageing; Edad avanzada; Geriatric neurology; Immunosenescence; Miastenia gravis; Myasthenia gravis; Neuroepidemiology; Neuroepidemiología; Neurogeriatría; Prevalence; Prevalencia; Senescencia inmunológica.

PubMed Disclaimer