German and English researchers studied the profile of complement activation in patients with myasthenia gravis, both seropositive and seronegative, and with and without standard immunosuppressive therapy.
- In the cohort of acetylcholine receptor-positive patients (AChR-Ab+), complement activation was confirmed in contrast to the other cohorts studied (MuSK+ patients, HIV-negative patients, control subjects)
- Some of this activation persisted even in AChR-Ab+ patients under immunosuppressive treatment.
- The AChR+ autoantibody level did not correlate with the level of complement activation.
This study again underlines the interest of innovative therapies targeting the C5 factor of the complement pathway in generalized and refractory myasthenias.
