Conclusions
Patients with seronegative IMNM more frequently present with myalgia at onset, exhibit more subclinical cardiac involvement and uncommon MAC deposition on myofibers, and experience better outcomes than those with seropositive IMNM.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with IMNM treated in the Neurology Department of Tongji Hospital from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2019.
Results
Among the 117 patients with IMNM, 30.8% (36/117) were positive for anti-SRP antibodies, 6.0% (7/117) were positive for anti-HMGCR antibodies, and 13.7% (16/117) were seronegative. Myalgia at presentation (62.5 vs. 23.3%, p = 0.0114) was more commonly observed in patients with seronegative IMNM than in those with seropositive IMNM. Subclinical cardiac involvement was more frequently detected in seronegative IMNM than in seropositive IMNM (6/13 vs. 5/33, p = 0.0509, echocardiogram; 7/7 vs. 12/24, p = 0.0261, cardiac MRI). Deposition of membrane attack complex (MAC) on the sarcolemma of myofibers in biopsied muscle was less commonly observed in patients with seronegative IMNM than in patients with seropositive IMNM (16.7 vs. 68.2%, p = 0.0104). The rate of marked improvement following immunotherapy tended to be higher in patients with seronegative IMNM than in those with seropositive IMNM (87.5 vs. 61%, p = 0.0641). Conclusions: Patients with seronegative IMNM more frequently present with myalgia at onset, exhibit more subclinical cardiac involvement and uncommon MAC deposition on myofibers, and experience better outcomes than those with seropositive IMNM.