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Immunologic Disorders of Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle

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Clinical Neuroimmunology

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Neurology ((CCNEU))

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Abstract

A range of inherited and acquired processes can adversely affect the ­neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and muscle, many of which are not amenable to medical therapy, such as the muscular dystrophies. Autoimmune disorders of NMJ and muscle provide some of the limited number of peripheral neuromuscular diseases responsive to medical therapy and thus, are essential to recognize. Immune disorders account for the most common diseases of neuromuscular transmission and are very important to understand, not least because the autoimmune nature of disease provides opportunities for effective treatment. On the other hand, inflammatory disorders of muscle are a diverse group, some of which appear to have an immunologic basis, e.g., polymyositis and dermatomyositis, and possibly, inclusion body myositis (IBM).

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Correspondence to James M. Gilchrist MD .

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Chisholm, K.A., Gilchrist, J.M., Donahue, J.E. (2011). Immunologic Disorders of Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle. In: Rizvi, S., Coyle, P. (eds) Clinical Neuroimmunology. Current Clinical Neurology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-860-7_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-860-7_18

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