Construction of an efficient evaluative instrument for myasthenia gravis: the MG composite.

Journal Article (Journal Article;Multicenter Study)

We assessed the performance of items from the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG), MMT (Manual Muscle Test), and MG-ADL (Myasthenia Gravis - Activities of Daily Living) scales, using data from two recently completed treatment trials of generalized MG. Items were selected that were relevant to manifestations of MG, meaningful to both the physician and the patient, and responsive to clinical change. After the 10 items were chosen, they were weighted based on input from MG experts from around the world, considering factors such as quality of life, disease severity, risk, prognosis, validity, and reliability. The MG Composite is easy to administer, takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and requires no equipment. Weighting of the response options of the 10 items should result in ordinal scores that better represent MG status and are more responsive to meaningful clinical change. To better determine its suitability for clinical use and for treatment trials, the MG Composite will be tested prospectively at several academic medical centers and will be used as a secondary measure of efficacy in pending clinical trials of MG.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Burns, TM; Conaway, MR; Cutter, GR; Sanders, DB; Muscle Study Group,

Published Date

  • December 2008

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 38 / 6

Start / End Page

  • 1553 - 1562

PubMed ID

  • 19016543

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0148-639X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/mus.21185

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States