#1622 Minimal changes disease and myasthenia gravis: a logical association
Authors: Cunha Ana Cristina Santos , Braga Beatriz Gil , Sousa Sofia , Correia Sofia , Campos Andreia , Lascasas Josefina Santos 
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

Minimal changes disease (MCD) is responsible for 10-25% of nephrotic syndrome cases in adults. It can have a primary or secondary aetiology, being associated with diseases like infections, atopy or even haematological malignancies. There is a described association between MCD and myasthenia gravis (MG) in the literature, which we will explore in this case report.

Clinical Case

An autonomous 67 years old female, healthy except for overweight develops diplopia and dysphagia, being diagnosed with anti-musk MG (antibodies titters 2,2002 nmol/L). Thymoma presence was excluded by CT scan. She starts oral treatment with pyridostigmine without response.

Two months later she develops generalized oedema. Analytically she had normal kidney function (Cr 0.7 mg/dL; BUN 28.5 mg/dL), hypoalbuminemia (2.09 g/dL), dyslipidaemia and nephrotic proteinuria of PCR 8g/g creat, without leucoeritrocyturia. Reno-vesical echography was normal. No alterations in immunological study except for a low IgG 396 mg/dL. Anti-PLA2R was negative.

Kidney biopsy was performed, having 4 glomerulus that looked normal in optical microscopy. In our centre we do not have electronic microscopy available, so the biopsy was interpreted as MCD.

She started prednisolone (PDN) 1 mg/kg/day with clinical improvement and resolution of the symptoms and proteinuria (0.062 g/g creat).

In November 2022, while she was tapering the PDN, she had a myasthenic crisis, with MCD recurrency. She did 5 plasmapheresis sessions, the PDN dose was increased to 1 mg/kg/day and two rituximab administrations (1000 mg each) were done. There was an improvement in MG symptoms during 3 weeks and then she aggravated again. The proteinuria slowly decreased during 6 weeks until RPC 1.3 g/g creat and then started to aggravate when the corticosteroids were tapered.

It was decided to initiate mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), there was improvement and both diseases are controlled until today, the patient is asymptomatic under 7.5 mg/day of prednisolone, with a PCR 0.2 g/g creat.

Discussion

The production of a circulating permeability factor by abnormal T cells, that causes the podocytes damage, is one of the possible explanations for MCD. There are reports of improvements with plasmapheresis (PF) by permeability factor remotion from circulation. MG is also caused by T cells antibodies attack, but the attack occurs against channels essential for the neuromuscular membrane function. The similarities of the mechanisms make the existence of a common branch in the t cells dysregulation seem plausible. Anti musk MG is very responsive to PF but it has a limited effect in time.

Rituximab depletes B cells responsible for promoting the impaired T cells responses. It has been associated with longer remissions in cortico-sensitive MCD with relapsing disease. The exact same mechanism occurs when rituximab is used in MG.

In this case the patient did not have a satisfactory response to rituximab as the patient kept dependent of high PDN doses, so we decided to initiate MMF with a complete remission of both pathologies and allowing the use of lower PDN doses.

Take Home Message

The association between MCD and myasthenia gravis is rare, especially in patients without thymoma. When we analyse the diseases physiopathology, we find common mechanisms that can justify the association. The identification of this relation can be advantageous making possible early rituximab use, that has been showing good results in both pathologies. In this particular clinical case, there was a recurrence with rituximab when we tapered the PDN, so the patient started MMF with good response and allowing lower PDN doses.