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Molecular Mechanisms of MHC Associations with Myasthenia Gravis

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Myasthenia Gravis

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Abstract

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease characterized by muscle weakness due to autoimmunity against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) at the neuromuscular junction. The disease is relatively rare with a prevalence rate of approximately 80 persons per million and an incidence rate of approximately 5 persons per million in Caucasian populations [1]. MG has a complex pattern of inheritance, and several genetic and environmental factors are important in conferring susceptibility to the disease. Genes play an important role in MG; the autoimmune disease is familial in 4–7% of the cases [2] and the concordance rate among monozygotic twins is approximately 40% [3]. No concordance has been observed in dizygotic twins, and the large discrepancy in concordance between monozygotic and dizygotic twins suggests that there are multiple genes that confer susceptibility to MG. Several genes have indeed been found to confer susceptibility to MG, which therefore could be defined as a polygenic disease. This review will focus on reports published in the last years that have contributed to our understanding of the associations between MG and genes in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Peter Hjelmström

  2. Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine; Neuroscience Research Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA

    Peter Hjelmström

  3. Department of Molecular Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, CMM, L8:03, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden

    Carani B. Sanjeevi

Authors
  1. Peter Hjelmström
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  2. Carani B. Sanjeevi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA

    Premkumar Christadoss (Professor) (Professor)

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Hjelmström, P., Sanjeevi, C.B. (2000). Molecular Mechanisms of MHC Associations with Myasthenia Gravis. In: Christadoss, P. (eds) Myasthenia Gravis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4060-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4060-7_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5787-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4060-7

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