Myasthenia gravis is the result of an imbalance in the immune system, causing the production of autoantibodies that act against one of the building blocks of the neuromuscular junction. This non-hereditary neuromuscular disease is characterised by a muscle deficit that usually comes and goes, with particular ocular and bulbar impact, and when it becomes generalised, can be the cause of significant disability and, very often, persistent fatigue.
In an article published in August 2021, a group of French myasthenia experts reported the results of a multicentre clinical trial studying the impact of regular physical activity on quality of life, specifically in these generalised forms. Between 2014 and 2017, of 138 potentially eligible patients, 23 were randomly assigned to the physical training protocol arm (thrice-weekly rowing machine practice sessions, each lasting 40 minutes, with moderate intensity, over a period of three months), while another 20 received their usual treatment with no specific physical training. The training protocol was very well accepted and tolerated. However, the results did not show a significant gain on the MGQOL-15-F scale, used to assess quality of life in these patients. This disappointing result could, in the opinion of the authors, be related to the inadequacies and limitations of the measurement tool used. A recruitment bias could also, according to them, be an explanation. In contrast, the functional parameters showed a distinct improvement in muscle strength.
