Health-related quality-of-life and treatment targets in myasthenia gravis

The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to propose appropriate treatment targets for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).We evaluated 640 consecutive patients with MG seen at 11 neurological centers. Two-year follow-up data were obtained for 282 patients. Correlations between detailed clinical factors and the Japanese version of the 15-item MG-specific QOL scale score were analyzed.In a cross-sectional analysis of 640 MG patients, multivariate regression revealed that disease severity, as evaluated by the MG Composite (P0.0001), total dose of oral prednisolone during the last year (P=0.002), and Cushingoid appearance index (P=0.0004), showed significant negative effects on HRQOL, but the quantitative MG score and current prednisolone dose did not.Achieving minimal manifestations (MM) status or better with prednisolone ≤ 5 mg/day was found to exert a major positive impact on HRQOL in both the cross-sectional and 2-year follow-up patient samples and can be recommended as a treatment target.