VIDEO: Antibiotics linked to exacerbation of myasthenia gravis

DENVER — The use of several common antibiotics led to exacerbation of myasthenia gravis in a small cohort of patients, Sanem P. Uysal, MD, said in this Healio video from the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting.

“Several commonly used antibiotics have been linked to [myasthenia gravis] exacerbation, but this assumption is not based on randomized clinical trials or prospective research,” said Uysal, a fourth-year neurology resident at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Uysal and colleagues documented the progress of 366 individuals with confirmed myasthenia gravis (MG) and used the three above-mentioned antibiotics, who visited the Cleveland Clinic Neuromuscular Center between 2002 and 2022. Associations between medication use and exacerbation of MG symptoms were tracked via the Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale (definite, probable, possible or doubtful).

Results showed that the frequency of exacerbation was greatest with ciprofloxacin, while a significant association was found between MG exacerbation and history of MG-related hospitalization or ED visit within 6 months before antibiotic use.