Baricitinib as a treatment for myasthenia gravis: a case report.

Neuromuscul Disord

Department of Neurology, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan.

Published: August 2024

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease that targets neuromuscular junctions. While immunotherapy remains the cornerstone of treatment, the effects of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors on MG remain underexplored. In this report, we describe the case of a 58-year-old woman with ocular myasthenia gravis who received treatment with the JAK inhibitor, baricitinib for alopecia areata. The patient presented with left eyelid ptosis and an inadequate response to steroids and pyridostigmine, along with symptoms of alopecia areata. Following diagnosis, we initiated a treatment regimen consisting of baricitinib for six months. After initiation of baricitinib, we observed a complete resolution of the patient's MG symptoms, accompanied by hair regrowth, even when steroids were tapered and pyridostigmine was discontinued. Furthermore, the titer of the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody was decreased. This report represents the first reported case of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive MG that was successfully treated through the inhibition of JAK activity.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2024.06.006DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

myasthenia gravis
12
alopecia areata
8
anti-acetylcholine receptor
8
baricitinib
4
baricitinib treatment
4
treatment myasthenia
4
gravis case
4
case report
4
report myasthenia
4
gravis autoimmune
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!