Acetylcholine receptor antibody in Thai generalized myasthenia gravis patients.

The authors studied acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR Ab) in twenty-six Thai patients diagnosed as having generalized myasthenia gravis and fifteen control cases. AChR Ab assay was done by radioimmunoassay technique and reported by titer in nmole/L. The positive result was defined by titer more than 0.5 nmole/L. In the myasthenia gravis group, age ranged from 18 to 64 years old with mean of 34 years old. The female: male ratio was 4.2:1. Duration of disease before taking blood sample ranged from 1 month to 14 years with a mean of 3.9 year. The AChR Ab could be detected in 21 out of 26 patients (80.7%). In the control group, tests were all negative. The results of the test made the sensitivity of 80.7% and specificity of 100%. The positive predictive value was 100%, the negative predictive value was 75%, and the prevalence was 60.3%. There was no correlation between AChR Ab titer and clinical features. This test is a very valuable test in case of uncertainly in the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.