Myasthenia gravis with tongue muscle atrophy: A case series

Heliyon. 2024 Apr 19;10(9):e30015. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30015. eCollection 2024 May 15.

Abstract

Here, we presented 6 patients who were admitted to our institution and diagnosed as myasthenia gravis (MG) with tongue muscle atrophy. All these 6 patients developed symptoms of bulbar muscle weakness in acetylcholine receptor antibodies positive MG (AChR-MG) (3/6), muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase antibodies positive MG (MuSK-MG) (1/6), and sero-negative MG (2/6). Most of patients had "triple-furrowed" tongue except for patient 2 with irregular atrophy of tongue muscle. Tongue muscle atrophy occurs in patients with MuSK-MG, AChR-MG, and sero-negative MG. Atrophied tongue muscles of five patients with MG were reversible after immunotherapy.

Keywords: AChR-MG; MuSK-MG; Myasthenia gravis; Myogenic damage; Tongue muscular atrophy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports