Myasthenia gravis on the Dutch antilles: an epidemiological study

We carried out an epidemiological study on the prevalence and annual incidence of myasthenia gravis on tropical islands Curaçao and Aruba in the period 1980–1995. Twenty-one patients (seven men and 14 women) were identified. The point prevalence increased from 29 per million in 1980 to about 70 per million in 1990–1995; the annual incidence over the total period was 4.7 per million. The female:male ratio was 2:1; purely ocular cases (2/21) comprised 9.5% and thymomas (4/21), 19%. These data are in accordance with most other epidemiological studies in non-tropical areas. No other studies on myasthenia gravis in tropical areas have been reported.