Dr. Naomi Sacks, HEORStrategies Vice President, is a co-author of a study on myasthenia gravis (MG) just published in the journal Neurology. MG is a disorder that affects nerve and muscle communication, leads to chronic muscle weakness, and has a substantial adverse effect on patients’ quality of life. Using data from the National Inpatient Survey (NIS), a representative sample of hospitalizations in the US, and data on hospitalizations from the Medicare Limited Data Set, Dr. Sacks and co-authors examined trends in hospitalizations and mortality for MG. They found that hospital admissions for MG increased at an annualized rate of 4.9% from 2010–2019. They also found that in-hospital mortality was low when they looked at patients of all ages, averaging 1.8% per admission. However, in-hospital mortality was substantially higher among those aged 65 and older, averaging 5.0% in each study year. The increasing MG hospitalization rates suggest that the burden of this disease is growing, especially among older adults.
Listen to a podcast with lead author, neurologist Dr. Ali A. Habib: Hospitalizations and Mortality From Myasthenia Gravis | Neurology® Podcast
You can see this important study at Hospitalizations and Mortality From Myasthenia Gravis | Neurology