Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

We studied the longitudinal relation between disease severity and titers of antigen-specific IgG subclasses in sera of patients with myasthenia gravis and antibodies to Muscle Specific Kinase (MuSK MG). Six patients were included of whom 55 samples had been collected during 2.5-13.4 years. Anti-MuSK antibodies were determined by ELISA and with a cell-based immunofluorescence assay. Disease severity was scored on a semi continuous scale. Only antigen-specific IgG4, and not IgG1, titers were significantly associated with disease severity in a linear mixed effect model (p = 0.036). Levels of IgG4 antibodies were above IgG1 in all samples except in one patient who went into clinical remission while switching from IgG4 to IgG1. The results support an important role for IgG4 in the pathogenesis of MuSK MG, in contrast to MG with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.jneuroim.2008.01.013

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Neuroimmunol

Publication Date

03/2008

Volume

195

Pages

151 - 156

Keywords

Adult, Antibody Specificity, Antigen-Antibody Reactions, Autoantibodies, Cell Line, Transformed, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Myasthenia Gravis, Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases, Receptors, Cholinergic, Retrospective Studies, Severity of Illness Index, Transfection