Myasthenia gravis and coronavirus disease 2019: A report from Iran

Masoud Etemadifar; Mahsa  Akafzadeh-Savari; Mehri Salari; Amirhossein Akhavan Sigari; Sara  Ebrahimi-Pelarti; Nahad Sedaghat; Koorosh Etemad

doi:10.18502/cjn.v20i3.7692

Masoud Etemadifar Department of Neurosurgery, Al-Zahra University Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Mahsa Akafzadeh-Savari Al-Zahra Research Institute, Al-Zahra University Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Mehri Salari Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Amirhossein Akhavan Sigari Al-Zahra Research Institute, Al-Zahra University Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Sara Ebrahimi-Pelarti Al-Zahra Research Institute, Al-Zahra University Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Nahad Sedaghat Al-Zahra Research Institute, Al-Zahra University Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Koorosh Etemad Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/cjn.v20i3.7692

Keywords: Myasthenia Gravis; COVID-19; Thymectomy; Neurology

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly and has affected millions of people worldwide. Comorbid diseases have complicated the course of infection and increased mortality. Myasthenia gravis (MG) affects the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and can compromise respiratory muscle action, leading to worse clinical outcomes in individuals infected with the COVID-19 theoretically. In this study, the aim is to assess the pattern of COVID-19 infection in patients with MG based on several factors.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study following 150 patients with MG over a six-month period. The patients were monitored for the development of signs and symptoms of the COVID-19 infection.

Results: Comparison of the patients infected with COVID-19 with MG and those not infected was performed independently based on age, duration since MG diagnosis, status of thymectomy, and current clinical status of MG disease. Data analysis did not reveal increased susceptibility or increased severity of COVID-19 illness based the criteria assessed.

Conclusion: COVID-19 related deaths and susceptibility were not related to age, thymectomy status, and disease duration in patients with MG.