Genetic factors in myasthenia gravis

A family study

Kerzin-Storrar, L. MS
Metcalfe, R. A. MRCP
Dyer, P. A. PhD
Kowalska, G. BSc
Ferguson, I. MD, MRCP
Harris, R. MD, FRCP, FRCPath

Department of Medical Genetics (Ms. Kerzin-Storrar, Dr. Dyer, Ms. Kowalska, and Prof. Harris), St. Mary's Hospital, and the Department of Neurology (Drs. Metcalfe and Ferguson), Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, England.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Ms. Kerzin-Storrar, Regional Genetic Service at St. Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester Health Authority, Whitworth Park, Manchester M13 OJH, England.

Received December 1, 1986. Accepted for publication in final form April 6, 1987.

Neurology 38(1):p 38-42, January 1988.

Article abstract

We studied forty-four patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and their families. Thirty percent of patients had a confirmed family history of autoimmune disease; in one case this was MG. In all the families with autoimmune disease, the affected relatives were related to the patients through the maternal line. HLA-B8 and DR3 were increased in patients due to the high incidence of these antigens in female, nonthymoma patients with onset before 40 years. HLA-B5 was increased in patients with older onset. The haplotype A1-B8-DR3 was not found to be increased given the presence of B8 or DR3.