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Familial Mya sthenia GravisReport of a Case in Identical Twins and Review of Family Aggregates
LT Martin N. Herman, MC
Arch Neurol. 1969;20(2):140-146.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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AS EARLY as 1937, Rothbart1 suggested that myasthenia gravis was genetically determined. Sixty-two additional familial cases have since been recorded, yet no clear-cut pattern of inheritance has emerged and no satisfactory explanation has been offered.
Recently, familial aggregates of autoimmune disease have been noted and, coincidentally, the concept of myasthenia gravis as an autoimmune disease has been advanced. In this communication, two cases of myasthenia gravis in monozygotic twins are reported; the literature concerning familial myasthenia is reviewed, and an hypothesis combining immunologic and genetic data is offered in explanation.
Report of Cases
CASE 1.—The patient (Fig 1) was the second born of twin girls. Her mother was 24 at the time of confinement. An abruptio placentae occurred in the 33rd week of gestation and precipitated labor. An umbilical hernia was the only abnormality noted at birth. Examination of the placental membranes revealed only one chorion.
The infant
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
USNR, Portsmouth, Va
From the United States Naval Hospital, Ports-mouth, Va. Dr. Herman is now a fellow in neurology at the University of Virginia Hospital, Charlottesville, Va.
Footnotes
Submitted for publication Aug 18, 1968; accepted Oct 16.
Reprint requests to the Department of Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Va 22901 (Dr. Herman).
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