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acetylcholine (nicotinic) Ab antibody in serum
Indications:
- evaluation of myasthenia gravis
Clinical significance:
- occurs in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).
- occasionally occur in association with:
a) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
b) Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
c) pernicious anemia
- does NOT occur with congenital myasthenia gravis
- occurs in only 15% of patients with ocular myasthenia gravis
Specimen:
1) serum
2) store refrigerated or frozen without preservative
3) do NOT use plasma
4) stable at -20 degrees C
Normal range: < 0.03 nmol/L
Method: Radioimmunoassay (RIA)
False positives may occur with muscle relaxants:
1) metocurine
2) succinylcholine
Acetylcholine receptor antibody is more sensitive for detection of MG than electromyography (EMG) & is useful for following the response of MG to therapy. If negative & clinical suspicion of MG is high, acetylcholine receptor blocking & acetylcholine receptor modulating antibodies are used as 2nd & 3rd line tests.
Specific
acetylcholine (nicotinic) receptor binding Ab in serum
acetylcholine (nicotinic) receptor modulating Ab in serum
General
serology
References
- Mayo Internal Medicine Board Review, 1998-99, Prakash UBS (ed)
Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, 1998, pg 651
- Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, 3rd ed. Teitz ed.,
W.B. Saunders, 1995
Component-of
Acetylcholine receptor modulating Ab/Acetylcholine receptor Ab total in Serum