Late‐onset myasthenia not on the increase: a nationwide register study in Denmark, 1996–2009

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Abstract
Background: An increase in late‐onset myasthenia gravis (MG) has been reported. There are few large population‐based studies over longer periods of time reflecting recent developments in MG incidence.Methods: We identified a nationwide cohort of patients with incident myasthenia in Denmark in 1996–2009. We used a validated algorithm to track subjects based on a combination of diagnosis and prescription (pyridostigmine) data from nationwide registers. Patients with myasthenia were classified into early onset (P‐values for trend 0.54 and 0.15, respectively).Conclusion: Late‐onset MG comprised a large proportion of all incident cases in Denmark, was more common in men than women, and occurred with a stable incidence in the 14‐year study period. Therefore, we speculate whether previous reports of a rise in late‐onset MG reflect a non‐biological phenomenon, that is, a gradual improvement in the diagnosis of MG in this age group in previous years.

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