This is a 10 year retrospective review of patients managed at the
Ahmadu Bello Teaching hospital, Zaria, Nigeria for myasthenia gravis.
Only 4 patients were identified from the hospital's records. Myasthenia
gravis appears uncommon in this environment. Reasons for the apparent
rarity of this condition and other autoimmune diseases in the
environment are discussed

Bakari, A.G.

Onyernelukwe, G.C.

Bioline International

RARITY OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS IN NORTHERN NIGERIANS A.G. Bakari and G.C.Onyernelukwe Department of Medicine. Ahmadu Bello University Hosp~tal, Zarla, Nlgerra ABSTRACT This is a 10 year retrospective review of patients managed at the Ahmadu Bello Teaching hospital, Zaria, Nigeria for myasthenia gravis. Only 4 patients were identified from the hospital's records. Myasthenia gravis appears uncommon in this environment. Reasons for the apparent rarity of this condition and other autoimmune diseases in the environment are discussed. Key words: Myasthenla gravls, northern N~gerla, auto~rnmun~ty INTRODUCTION N~gerra 1s the largest black natron rn the world and IS home no more than 100 mill~on people Geopolrt~cally, ~t IS div~ded rn to norlh and south, each w~th diverse bul drstinct ethnrc and cultural backgrounds More than 50 percent of ihe populat~on resrdes In the north. Although there are reports of myasthenla gravrs from the southern part of N~gerna. ' We are not aware of any reports from northern Nrgerla. T h ~ s  is a report of cases seen In Ahrnadu Bello University Teachlng (A. B U.) Hospital, the first and largest tertrary health lnst~tution in northern N~ger~a.  PATIENTS AND METHODS Medical records of pat~ents seen at the department of medicine of A. B. U. Teaching Hospital. Zarla, N~ger~a  (outpatlent clinics and rned~cal wards), from January 1983 to December 1992, were rewewed. Four patrents with myasthenia gravis were ~dentrf~ed. Case 1 An 18-year-old lady presenter: In 19&3 with lpft ptosl- associated w-t '  dlplopra, syrnptums wcre worse wbe- re~dlng.  She had no other -vqt~.nrc , . ?p!oms, systemic exarnrnat~on con'- led left s~ded ptosls. Other P%, - 1 r 7 ~ 1 c T s  were normal, edr,~~hc~nlum test ::as posrt~ve conflrmlng the d~agnosrs of , .?,?sthenla gravls. Chest radrograpk c ~ p l e t e  blood count, bfood glucose. he[ja~,c and renal functron tests were all normal. She made remarkable rrnprovement w~rh pyr~dostigmine therapy and has been In rernlsslon since March 1988, necessitating w~thdrawal of pyr~dost~grnlne therapy In March 1989 Case 2 A 27-year-old man presented in July 1985 w~ th  left slded headaches, left slded ptosis, diplopla, easy fatrgab~lrty and dysphagia. Clinical exarnnnatilon conf~rmed the presence of ptosls but the rest of the clinical exammation was normal. Edrophonlum test was positive, confirm~ng the d~agnosrs of myasthenia gravis. He was placed on Correspondences to: Or. A.G.Bakari, Department of Mcdlelne, d &. U. Hospikl, Zaria. Nigeria. E- mail: abqbre~B yahoo.com 

Rarity of Myasthenia Gravis in Northern Nigerians

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