Acetylcholine receptor antibodies as a marker of treatable fatigue in HIV-1 infected individuals

✍ Scribed by Edward J. Cupler; Carlos Otero; Karen Hench; Carlos Luciano; Marinos C. Dalakas

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 262 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-639X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199609)19:9<1186::aid-mus19>3.0.co;2-t

✦ Synopsis

Muscle fatigue, decreased physical endurance, and decreased muscle strength are common symptoms in HIV-1 infected individuals. Because similar symptoms occur in patients with autoimmune disorders of the neuromuscular junction, we prospectively screened 43 consecutive HIV-1 infected patients evaluated in the Neuromuscular Diseases Clinic at the National Institutes of Health over 12 months for the presence of subclinical, immune-mediated neuromuscular transmission dysfunction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Forty-three patients underwent a neurological examination electromyographic studies, and a general laboratory evaluation that included hematology, chemistry, lymphocyte subset analysis, thyroid function tests, vitamin and serum immunoglobulin levels, immunofixation electrophoresis, and a battery of autoantibodies including AChR antibodies.

Patients with detectable AChR antibodies underwent single fiber electromyography (EMG) ,I6 repetitive nerve stimulation studies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the mediastinum, and antistriated muscle antibodies.