[Pubmed] Disease burden, healthcare resource utilisation, and treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed myasth

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J Neuromuscul Dis. 2025 Jan-Feb;12(1):22143602241308194. doi: 10.1177/22143602241308194.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG), a chronic and unpredictable autoimmune disease, is associated with multiple comorbidities and high disease burden.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the disease burden, healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU), and treatment patterns of patients with newly diagnosed MG in England.

METHODS: Data from Clinical Practice Research Datalink GP practices linked to the Hospital Episode Statistics database were used. Eligible patients had ≥1 diagnostic code for MG, with the first MG diagnostic code recorded between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. Non-MG controls were selected if they had no recorded MG diagnosis and ≥12 months of data. Controls were matched for age, sex and GP practice in a maximum ratio of 5:1.

RESULTS: Mean follow-up duration was 2.8 and 3.1 years for the MG and non-MG cohorts, respectively. In the MG cohort, 56% of patients were male, with a mean age of 67 years at baseline. Incidence rates of all comorbidities assessed during follow-up were higher in the MG cohort than in controls. Almost two-thirds of MG patients experienced ≥1 myasthenic exacerbation during follow-up; incidence rates (95% confidence interval) of MG exacerbations and crises were 50.0 (44.7-55.9) and 1.3 (0.8-2.0) per 100 person-years, respectively. Visits to non-neurology specialists and outpatient clinics were the most common instances of HCRU overall, each being more frequent in the MG cohort than for controls. In the first year of follow-up, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and corticosteroids were used by 56.0% and 50.2% of MG patients, respectively; the use of AChEIs declined thereafter.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite treatment, there is a high disease burden for patients with newly diagnosed MG in England, with high rates of MG exacerbation and HCRU use. Thus, there is a need for targeted treatments with sustained efficacy and improved safety to adequately manage MG symptoms and reduce MG-related disease burden.

PMID:39973446 | DOI:10.1177/22143602241308194


Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3997344 ... t9+e462414