Progress in rituximab for anti⁃MuSK antibody-related myasthenia gravis
Abstract
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoantibody mediated autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), and anti⁃muscle⁃specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibody⁃related MG (MuSK⁃MG) covers 5%-8% of all MG patients. MuSK⁃MG is a life threatening condition, characterized with early bulbar, neck, and respiratory muscle weakness. MuSK-MG patients have poor response to standard therapies, known as drug⁃resistant patients. Rituximab (RTX) is a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 antigen on B cells. At present, most studies have described clinical improvement and immunosuppressant dose reduction following RTX treatment of refractory MG patients, especially for MuSK⁃MG patients.
DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.01.008
Keywords
Myasthenia gravis; Muscle ⁃ specific receptor tyrosine kinase (not in MeSH); Rituximab; Review
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