A Comparative Study of Myasthenic Patients in the Czech and Slovak Republics

Background:  Existing epidemiological studies of myasthenia feature differences in incidence, prevalence, age- and sex-specific incidences, mortality rate and even the prevalence of myasthenia subtypes. The aim of this study was to compare the overall management of patients with myasthenia, severity of the disease, a number of clinical and laboratory characteristics and therapy approaches between patients in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Methods:  Data were retrospectively collectedfrom two registries in the Czech Republic (Brno) and the Slovak Republic (Bratislava). Data were randomly matched by age of onset and sex. The resulting groups consisted of 152 patients each. Results:  There was almost no significant difference between the matched groups. The clinical form, positivity of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor, Myasthenia Gravis Composite Score, time to diagnosis, and percentage of thymomas and thymectomy were not significantly different. There were differences only in the occurrence of limb weakness at the onset of disease and in the choice of treatment modality. Conclusions:  Our data suggest that at least part of previously observed heterogeneity between populations might be based on different age and sex distribution.