In order to assess the incidence and prevalence of myasthenia gravis in France, a group of researchers from Auvergne analyzed data contained in the national health data system (SNDS) :
- the study covered the period 2008-2018,
- 331 patients were identified in the SNDS, enabling us to extrapolate an incidence of 50 per million inhabitants per year and a prevalence of 465 per million inhabitants,
- thymectomy was noted in 5% of cases,
- there was also a clear female predominance, with a peak in onset around the age of 40,
- the authors note a higher risk of comorbidities, particularly cancer, some of which may be linked to the various immunosuppressive treatments.
Although not devoid of bias and coding errors, this analysis of the SNDS provides an overall picture of the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis in France.
