The association of pauciarticular juvenile arthritis and myasthenia gravis

Article Abstract:

The presence of more than one autoimmune disease (one in which the body manufactures antibodies against its own proteins) in a patient at the same time is fairly common, exemplified by the frequent coexistence of myasthenia gravis (MG; a relapsing neuromuscular disorder) and adult rheumatoid arthritis. Two case histories are presented of children with juvenile arthritis (JA) and MG, a rare combination since JA is usually present alone. The patients had pauciarticular JA (disease affecting only a few joints). One was diagnosed with JA at the age of six and one half, and developed weakness, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing at the age of nine. The arthritis was inactive when MG was diagnosed but flared up again several months after the thymus was removed (a treatment for MG in many cases). The second case involved a girl who was 13 when diagnosed with JA. At age 16, she developed muscle weakness and was ultimately diagnosed with MG. Both patients underwent treatment for their conditions. The coexistence of JA and MG in two children seen in the same clinic was surprising, since they are so rarely seen together. Two other cases have appeared in the literature where JA preceded MG by a few years. The family histories of the two patients presented here showed the presence of other possibly autoimmune diseases. A common defect of the immune system is postulated. Children with JA who complain of weakness should be tested for antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (a sign of MG) and evaluated for abnormalities of muscle function. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Diagnosis, Rheumatoid arthritis in children, Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

---

Calcium-channel antibodies in the Lambert-Eaton syndrome and other paraneoplastic syndromes

Article Abstract:

Patients with the Lambert-Eaton syndrome may have predominance of antibodies of the P/Q type. P/Q-type antibodies are antagonists of a subtype of calcium channels that are responsible for abnormal cell behavior. Lambert-Eaton syndrome is a paraneoplastic disorder characterized by its own immune response against parts of tumor cells. Paraneoplastic syndromes, often associated with small-cell lung carcinoma, may contain the calcium channel subtypes L, N, and P/Q. Researchers searched for antibodies of these three subtypes in the blood samples of patients with cancer and other diseases. All 32 patients with the Lambert-Eaton syndrome and diagnosed cancer had autoantibodies specific for P/Q-type calcium channels. Also, 30 of 33 patients with the Lambert-Eaton syndrome but without cancer had P/Q-type calcium-channel antibodies. The N subtype appeared to a lesser degree in cancerous conditions.

Analysis, Paraneoplastic syndromes, Autoantibodies, Physiological aspects, Calcium channels

---

Myasthenia, Elise Borden, and me

Article Abstract:

Myasthenia gravis is a slowly wasting, progressively debilitating disease that eventually ends with death of the patient. The difficulties in the life of a myasthenic patient, Elise Borden, is portrayed and the sad truth about its poor prognosis is related. The disease has slowly gained acceptance through the years and society has learned to understand rather than ridicule such patients.

Portrayals

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The evolution of surgical treatment for congenital cardiac disease
• Abstracts: Sedation of pediatric patients: an anesthesiologist's perspective. Pediatric sedation
• Abstracts: Cytomegalovirus infection in Gambian mothers and their babies. Cachexia and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in cytomegalovirus infection
• Abstracts: Bone scan as a stratification variable in advanced prostate cancer. The role of prostate-specific antigen as part of the diagnostic triad and as a guide when to perform a biopsy
• Abstracts: Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae (strain TWAR) infection with wheezing, asthmatic bronchitis, and adult-onset asthma. part 2

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.