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Reactivity and Possible Clinical Significance

Fredrik Romi, MD; Geir Olve Skeie, MD; Nils Erik Gilhus, MD; Johan Arild Aarli, MD

Arch Neurol. 2005;62:442-446.

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease caused, in most cases, by antibodies attaching to the acetylcholine receptor. Some myasthenia gravis patients have antibodies that bind in a cross-striational pattern to skeletal and heart muscle tissue sections (striational antibodies). These antibodies react with epitopes on the muscle proteins titin and ryanodine receptor, are found mainly in sera of patients with thymoma and late-onset myasthenia gravis, and may correlate with myasthenia gravis severity. Their presence may predict an unsatisfactory outcome after thymectomy. The detection of titin and ryanodine receptor antibodies provides more specific clinical information than the immunofluorescent demonstration of striational antibodies.

Author Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

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