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The Association Between Asthma and Risk of Myasthenia Gravis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the association between asthma and risk of myasthenia gravis (MG) using the method of systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

Potentially eligible studies were identified from Medline and EMBASE databases from inception to July 2020 using search strategy that comprised terms for “Asthma” and “Myasthenia Gravis”. Eligible cohort study must consist of one cohort of individuals with asthma and another cohort of individuals without asthma. Then, the study must report relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of incident MG between the groups. Eligible case–control studies must include cases with MG and controls without MG. Then, the study must explore their history of asthma. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs of the association between asthma status and MG must be reported. Point estimates with standard errors were retrieved from each study and were combined together using the generic inverse variance method.

Results

A total of 6,835 articles were identified. After two rounds of independent review by five investigators, two cohort studies and three case–control studies met the eligibility criteria and were included into the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis showed that asthma was significantly associated with risk of MG with the pooled risk ratio of 1.38 (95% CI 1.02–1.86). Funnel plot was symmetric, which was not suggestive of publication bias.

Conclusion

The current study found a significant association between asthma and increased risk of MG.

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Data Availability

All data and materials support the published claims and comply with field standards.

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Funding

Nipith Charoenngam receives the institutional research training grant from the Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award program from the National Institutes of Health (2 T32 DK 7201-42).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Pitchaporn Yingchoncharoen

  2. Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Nipith Charoenngam

  3. Section Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, 85 E Newton St., Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Nipith Charoenngam

  4. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Ben Ponvilawan

  5. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Jerapas Thongpiya

  6. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Thanat Chaikijurajai

  7. Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Thanat Chaikijurajai

  8. Department of Rheumatologic and Immunologic Diseases, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Patompong Ungprasert

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  1. Pitchaporn Yingchoncharoen
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  2. Nipith Charoenngam
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  5. Thanat Chaikijurajai
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Correspondence to Nipith Charoenngam.

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Yingchoncharoen, P., Charoenngam, N., Ponvilawan, B. et al. The Association Between Asthma and Risk of Myasthenia Gravis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Lung 199, 273–280 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-021-00444-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-021-00444-8

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