Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by fluctuating muscle weakness. Patients with MG may experience elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk owing to disease-related effects (e.g., inflammation or inability to exercise) or adverse effects of MG treatments such as glucocorticoids. We evaluated the prevalence of CV risk factors and comorbidities among patients with MG in Japan using a large real-world dataset.
METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study using data from the Medical Data Vision database in Japan. Patients were included who had a confirmed MG diagnosis in 2021-2022; CV risk factors and comorbidities were assessed using ICD-10 codes within the same 2-year period. Patients were stratified based on age category (18-40, >40-65, >65 years).
RESULTS: 10,307 patients with MG were identified; mean age was 64.0 years, 56.6% were female, and 47.3% had long-term glucocorticoid use (cumulative duration ≥90 days). Overall, 61.9% had ≥1 CV risk factor, 33.6% had ≥2 risk factors, and 10.9% had ≥3 risk factors. The most common CV risk factors were hypertension (44.0% of all patients) and hyperlipidemia (40.1%). One-third (29.8%) of patients had ≥1 CV comorbidity (10.4% ≥2, 3.6% ≥3), most commonly heart failure (with hospitalization; 16.5% of all patients), angina pectoris (10.7%), and cerebrovascular accident (9.0%). Most (85.3%) patients with CV comorbidities also had ≥1 CV risk factor. Presence of ≥1 CV risk factor (18-40 years, 31.5%; >40-65 years, 56.6%; >65 years, 69.7%) or ≥1 CV comorbidity (18-40 years, 10.9%; >40-65 years, 21.5%; >65 years: 37.9%) increased with age category.
CONCLUSIONS: CV burden among patients with MG in Japan accumulates with age, and even in younger age groups many patients have at least one CV risk factor or comorbidity. These findings emphasize the need to consider CV risk alongside other disease and patient characteristics in the therapeutic management of MG.