Table 3.
Differences in characteristics and therapies utilized between the patients treated with EFT combined with low‐dose and high‐dose PSL dosing regimens (Mann–Whitney U‐test)
| Low‐dose PSL+EFT group (n = 97) | High‐dose PSL+EFT group (n = 73) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 58.6 ± 18.0 | 56.1 ± 17.3 |
| Women (%)a | 72.2 (70/97) | 69.9 (51/73) |
| Duration of immune treatment (years) | 5.3 ± 4.5c | 10.2 ± 5.0 |
| Age at onset (years) | 52.0 ± 19.8 | 45.5 ± 17.5 |
| Thymectomy (%)a | 35.1 (34/97)b | 78.1 (57/73) |
| Thymoma (%)a | 24.7 (24/97) | 32.9 (24/73) |
| AChR‐Ab positivity (%) | 76.3 (74/97) | 83.6 (61/73) |
| MuSK‐Ab positivity (%)a | 4.1 (4/97) | 5.5 (4/73) |
| Worst QMG | 15.5 ± 6.9c (n = 97) | 22.0 ± 8.1 (n = 68) |
| Current QMG | 6.4 ± 4.8 | 7.8 ± 6.4 |
| Current MG‐QOL15‐J | 13.0 ± 13.8 | 14.4 ± 14.5 |
| MM or better at a dose ≤5 mg ≥6 months (current status) (%)a | 55.7 (54/97) | 56.1 (41/73) |
| Oral immunosuppressive agents | ||
| Maximum dose of PSL (mg/day) | 7.9 ± 4.0c | 49.2 ± 8.9 |
| Current dose of PSL (mg/day) | 4.4 ± 3.3 | 4.8 ± 6.6 |
| Duration of PSL ≥20 mg/day (years) | 0.0 ± 0.0c | 1.5 ± 2.4 |
| Calcineurin inhibitor use (%)a | 81.4 (79/97) | 71.2 (52/73) |
| Non‐oral fast‐acting treatments within 6 months from starting therapy | ||
| Plasmapheresis, time (range) | 3.0 ± 2.4 (1–14) | 3.8 ± 3.0 (1–12) |
| High‐dose intravenous methylprednisolone, total dose [g (range)] | 5.2 ± 3.2 (1–20)c | 2.5 ± 2.8 (0–12) |
| Intravenous immunoglobulin 0.4 g/kg for 5 days (range) | 0.4 ± 0.6 (0–3) | 0.3 ± 0.6 (0–2) |
EFT, early fast‐acting treatment strategy; AChR‐Ab, antibodies against acetylcholine receptor; MGFA, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America; MG‐QOL15‐J, a 15‐item MG‐specific QOL scale Japanese version; MM, minimal manifestations; MuSK, muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase; PSL, prednisolone; QMG, MGFA quantitative MG score.
a
Chi‐square test.
b
P < 0.01 vs. non‐EFT group.
c
P < 0.0001 vs. non‐EFT group.