Dados do Trabalho

Título

The relation between Myasthenia Gravis and Cognition: a review of literature

Resumo

Introduction: Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune chronic disease that involves neuromuscular junction generating muscle weakness and fatigability. In addition to peripheral muscle involvement, cognitive impairment has been hypothesized for a long time. Controversial results about the impact of MG in cognitive functions are present in varied studies.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was evaluate the literature regarding relation between MG and cognitive dysfunction. Methods: An extensive literature review was carried out based on analysis and selection of articles and publications found on MEDLINE, SCIELO, LILACS and grey literature. We included in this review studies referring to congenital myasthenia to access myasthenic syndromes.
Results: In this search, 415 records were found, corresponding to 101 different studies selected. About 20 studies compared cognitive impairment between patients with myasthenia and healthy control. The majority of those studies demonstrated correlation between myasthenia and cognitive impairment. The main domains affected were language, visuospatial function, information processing and memory.
Conclusion: Despite the fact that MG is traditionally seen as a purely motor disease, there are evidences suggesting it is related to cognitive dysfunctions in multiples domains. Beside that, it is associated with more neuropsychiatrist symptoms and state of fatigue. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of cognitive impairment in myasthenic patients and the pathophysiological mechanisms.