Research advancement of therapeutic plasma exchange in the treatment of myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis(MG) is an autoimmune disease mainly mediated by autoantibodies that disorders the transmission of excitation at the neuromuscular junction. The predominant clinical manifestation is the muscle fluctuant weakness and fatigability, and the extraocular and skeletal muscles are slightly affected at the early onset for the majority of MG patients. However, there is a rapid progression in a short period of time for a small group, involving the laryngeal muscles and respiratory muscles and developing the myasthenia crisis, which severely threatens their lives. It’s commonly used for such patients to be rescued by therapeutic plasma exchange(TPE) or intravenous immunoglobulins(IVIG) that rapidly relieves their symptoms of muscle weakness and improves the respiratory function. In recent years, plentiful clinical studies about TPE have emerged, and the clinical value of TPE in improving MG symptoms, exerting early efficacy, reducing the length of ICU hospital stay and its safety has been gradually clarified. This review aims to summarize the clinical research advancement of TPE in the treatment of MG in terms of basic conditions of MG and TPE, the therapeutic efficiency and safety of TPE, and the application of TPE extension technology in the treatment of MG by searching for clinical research articles at home and abroad in the past 5 years, which can provide reference for better clinical application of MG.

Keywords

• myasthenia gravis(mg)
• therapeutic plasma exchange(tpe)
• research advancement
• clinical application