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CASE REPORT article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1367409
This article is part of the Research Topic Case Reports in Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders View all 41 articles

Myasthenia gravis complicated by pure red cell aplasia with clonal Large granular lymphocytosis in the absence of thymoma: a rare case report and literature review

Provisionally accepted
Lijun Du Lijun Du Yiping Liu Yiping Liu Qiaolin Zhou Qiaolin Zhou Fang Xu Fang Xu *
  • Department of Hematology, Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, sichuan,China, Mianyang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In 2013, a young woman in early pregnancy was repeatedly hospitalized due to respiratory and swallowing difficulties. The pregnancy was terminated due to recurrent severe lung infections. She was later diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) based on positive acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Her muscle weakness was subsequently well-controlled with pyridostigmine bromide, azathioprine, and prednisone. Notably, in the seventh year after her myasthenia gravis diagnosis (2021), the patient developed severe anemia (hemoglobin: 44g/L). Bone marrow analysis revealed a rare combination of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) with clonal expansion of large granular cells. Further examinations excluded thymoma.Considering the possibility of drug-induced PRCA, azathioprine was replaced with tacrolimus. Remarkably, the anemia resolved within one month, and her myasthenia gravis remained well-controlled.It is well established that abnormal thymic hyperplasia within thymomas can alter the distribution and function of peripheral T lymphocytes, leading to the development of autoimmune diseases such as MG and PRCA. In this unique case without thymoma, we discussed the mechanisms and associations of PRCA with MG, medication, and clonal large granular T cells. This unique case highlights the unprecedented association of myasthenia gravis and pure red cell aplasia without thymoma, underscoring the complexity of the disease spectrum. The patient's subsequent successful delivery in June 2023 adds another dimension to the multifaceted clinical course, warranting attention and exploration into potential connections between these conditions.

    Keywords: pure red cell aplasia, Myasthenia Gravis, Thymomas, Large granular cells, Autoimmune disorders

    Received: 08 Jan 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Du, Liu, Zhou and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Fang Xu, Department of Hematology, Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, sichuan,China, Mianyang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.