ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.

Sec. Neuromuscular Disorders and Peripheral Neuropathies

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1555068

Real world study in Italian public hospital with Efgartigimod in patients affected by Generalized Myasthenia Gravis: Influence of Clinical and Serological Factors

Provisionally accepted
Manlio  SgarziManlio SgarziPaolo  PaonePaolo Paone*Giorgia  CameraGiorgia CameraEmanuela  AgazziEmanuela AgazziDario  AlimontiDario Alimonti
  • Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy

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

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder caused by IgG autoantibodies targeting the neuromuscular junction. Recycling of IgG is mediated by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). Efgartigimod, an Fc fragment of human IgG1, has demonstrated efficacy in MG; however, the clinical characteristics of patients with the highest response remain unclear.Twelve patients with AChR-positive generalized MG were treated with two cycles of Efgartigimod over one year, and nine patients completed a third cycle. Clinical evaluation was conducted using MG-ADL at four time points and QMG at the beginning and end of each cycle. MG-ADL and QMG scores were further subdivided into ocular (O), bulbar (B), and generalized (G) symptom subdomains, and patients were classified as predominantly ocular (pO), bulbar (pB), or generalized (pG) based on symptom prevalence.Significant improvements were observed in MG-ADL and QMG from baseline across all symptom subdomains. Baseline AChR antibody levels correlated with MG-ADL improvement (p < .04). Thymectomized patients demonstrated superior outcomes, with MG-ADL improving by 62% versus 22% (p < .01) and QMG by 45% versus 3.5% (p < .01) during the first two cycles. Patients with pO symptoms responded less to therapy, with generalized symptoms contributing most to the minor response.Our findings suggest that patients with high baseline AChR antibody titers, previous thymectomy, and nonocular symptom predominance respond better to Efgartigimod. These results underscore the need for larger studies to validate these observations and optimize patient selection.

Keywords: Myasthenia Gravis, efgartigimod, Thymectomy, T cells, AChR

Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 17 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Sgarzi, Paone, Camera, Agazzi and Alimonti. 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: Paolo Paone, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy

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