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Newer Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Acute Neuromuscular Disease in the Critical Care Unit

  • Critical Care Neurology (H Hinson, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Purpose of review

In this review, we discuss current treatment options for commonly encountered neuromuscular disorders in intensive care units. We will discuss epidemiology, pathophysiology, and acute and chronic treatment options for myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, West Nile virus, Botulism, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Recent findings

Eculizumab is the newest immunomodulator therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration in treatment of myasthenia gravis, shown to improve long-term functional outcomes. Edaravone is the newest therapy in management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, shown to slow functional deterioration. Efgartigimod showed great promise in a phase 2 safety and efficacy trial in the treatment of stable generalized myasthenia gravis. Eculizumab was found to be safe in a small phase 2 trial for use in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Summary

Currently, therapies such as plasma exchange, intravenous immunoglobulins, and steroids remain the mainstay of treatment in the ICU for many neuromuscular disorders. While there are some newer immunotherapies available, few have been studied in the acute setting. However, with the advent of new immunotherapies and biologics, changes in these approaches may be on the horizon.

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  1. Alok Patel and Fiona Lynch contributed equally to this work.

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  1. Department of Neurology, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W Harrison St, Suite 1121, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Alok Patel MD, Fiona Lynch MD & Starane A. Shepherd MD

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Correspondence to Starane A. Shepherd MD.

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Patel, A., Lynch, F. & Shepherd, S.A. Newer Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Acute Neuromuscular Disease in the Critical Care Unit. Curr Treat Options Neurol 22, 7 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11940-020-0616-8

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