[Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and anthropometric characteristics in patients with myasthenia gravis: a retrospective cohort study].

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness in which both genetic and environmental factors play a role. A positive influence of the Mediterranean diet (MedD) has been demonstrated for some autoimmune diseases. Whether such a connection also exists in patients with MG has not yet been investigated.In a monocentric, retrospective cohort study, anthropometric data were collected from 200 patients with MG. In addition, adherence to MedD was assessed in a subgroup (n=43) using the validated Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire. The MG cohort was stratified into a treatment-refractory group (≥3 immunosuppressants in the course; n=23) and a non-refractory group (n=177). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.31.6% of patients were obese, with a median BMI of 27.2 kg/m². The median MEDAS score of the overall group was 7.0 points. In the treatment-refractory group, the median score was 8.0 points; in the non-refractory group, 6.0 points. However, no significant difference was found between the groups (p=0.69). The values determined were within the range of previous comparative studies on other autoimmune diseases.MG patients showed moderate adherence to the MedD. The observation of a higher MEDAS score in the refractory group requires further investigation. The results of our study did not show any statistical evidence of a positive effect of a MedD on the course of MG.