Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with incident myasthenia gravis and control patients
| MG patients | Controls | Probable MG patients | Possible MG patients | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | (n = 1,066) | (n = 6,392) | (n = 834) | (n = 232) |
| Female | 49.7 | 49.8 | 45.6 | 64.7 |
| Mean age (years) | 61.6 | 61.4 | 62.4 | 58.4 |
| BMI (%) | ||||
| <20 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 8.2 |
| >30 | 21.5 | 16.6 | 22.9 | 16.4 |
| Unknown | 13.0 | 15.5 | 12.6 | 14.7 |
| Smoking status (%) | ||||
| Never | 47.7 | 43.2 | 46.6 | 51.7 |
| Current | 13.8 | 17.6 | 13.5 | 14.7 |
| Ex | 23.2 | 22.0 | 25.5 | 14.7 |
| Unknown | 15.3 | 17.1 | 14.3 | 19.0 |
| Alcohol status (%) | ||||
| Never | 14.7 | 10.4 | 15.2 | 12.9 |
| Current | 57.5 | 59.6 | 57.6 | 57.3 |
| Ex | 5.5 | 3.9 | 6.0 | 3.9 |
| Unknown | 22.2 | 26.1 | 21.2 | 25.9 |
| Fracture history (%) | ||||
| Any fracture | 15.1 | 15.7 | 15.0 | 15.5 |
| Fracture at osteoporotic sites | 6.8 | 7.5 | 6.7 | 6.9 |
| Hip fracture | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Vertebral fracture | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Radius/ulna fracture | 2.8 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 |
| Comorbidity ever before index date (%) | ||||
| Asthma | 13.1 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 14.2 |
| COPD | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| Congestive heart failure | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 3.4 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 7.9 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 4.7 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 2.6 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| Renal failure | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 8.0 | 6.1 | 8.8 | 5.2 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Cancer | 18.3 | 18.1 | 18.6 | 17.2 |
| Thyroid disorders | 18.7 | 11.0 | 18.0 | 21.1 |
| Secondary osteoporosis | 6.6 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 6.9 |
| Drug use in 6 months before index date (%) | ||||
| Pyridostigmine | 13.0 | 0.0 | 16.5 | 0.4 |
| Oral glucocorticoids | 8.7 | 2.8 | 9.2 | 6.9 |
| Immunosuppressantsa | 2.2 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
| Antidepressants | 10.4 | 8.4 | 10.9 | 8.6 |
| Antipsychotics | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Anxiolytics | 8.4 | 5.9 | 7.4 | 12.1 |
| Anticonvulsants | 3.3 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Bisphosphonates | 4.1 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| Hormone replacement therapy | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 3.0 |
aCiclosporin, azathioprine, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and methotrexate are included