Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33728176›Full record

ArticleCureus2021

Rituximab in Refractory Myasthenia Gravis: Experience in a Single Healthcare Center in Mexico.

Juan Carlos López-Hernández, Javier A Galnares-Olalde, Enrique Gómez-Figueroa, Adib Jorge de Sarachaga, Edwin Steven Vargas-Cañas

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 46% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Juan Carlos López-HernándezNeuromuscular Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, MEX.
Javier A Galnares-OlaldeNeurology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, MEX.
Enrique Gómez-FigueroaNeurology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, MEX.
Adib Jorge de SarachagaNeurology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, MEX.
Edwin Steven Vargas-CañasNeuromuscular Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, MEX.
Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía · MX

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTen to fifteen percent of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have treatment-refractory disease. In short series and case reports, rituximab has proven to be effective in refractory MG.

methodsA retrospective, longitudinal study was conducted. Recruitment was performed in an MG cohort from a single third-level healthcare center in Mexico. The selection included refractory MG patients that were treated with rituximab. Response after rituximab therapy was assessed with MG composite score (MGCS) and prednisone dose reduction at 6, 12, and 18 months after initiation. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to evaluate differences between related groups for non-continual variables. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

resultsTen patients (7%) fulfilled criteria for refractory MG, and eight of them were treated with rituximab. The mean age at MG diagnosis was 25.5 (±2) years, with a female predominance (75%). All our patients (100%) had positive acetylcholine receptor (AchR) antibodies. The median MG duration was six years (interquartile range [IQR] 4.2-6) before rituximab initiation. All patients were previously treated with azathioprine and 50% additionally with cyclophosphamide. The median prednisone doses before rituximab treatment and 18-month follow-up were 50 mg (IQR 30-50 mg) and 10 mg (IQR 0-20 mg), respectively (p=0.011).

conclusionRituximab appears to be associated with clinical improvement and prednisone dose reduction in Latin-American patients diagnosed with anti-AchR MG. Our findings need to be interpreted in light of the limitations mentioned.

Indexed as

myasthenia gravis (mg)prednisonerefractoryrituximab

Identifiers

PMID33728176
PMCPMC7946608
OpenAlexW3126387606

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.