Infantile Myasthenia

Abstract

A review of twelve Southern Chinese children whose myasthenic symptoms started within the first two years of life and followed up for one to sixteen years showed that, unlike some previous reports on non-Chinese children, the majority had only ocular myasthenia. Response to pyridostigmine was satisfactory and spontaneous remissions were frequent. Although more boys than girls were affected, familial myasthenia occurred in none. Serum acetylcholine receptor antibodies were not elevated in the majority. An association with HLA A11 and BW 46 needs further confirmation.

Key words

Myasthenia gravis - Onset under two years - Ocular myasthenia in infants