Eclampsia treatment and myasthenia gravis: case report and review of literature

Abstract

Objective: To report a case of pregnant women with myasthenia gravis (MG), plus preeclampsia-eclampsia and myasthenic crisis in the mediate puerperium; to conduct a literature review regarding its pharmacological management. Method: 26-year-old primigravida with 36 weeks of gestation and previous history of MG, who developed eclampsia and was treated with phenytoin for 24 hours, with later spontaneous delivery without any complications nor new seizures; and myasthenic crisis on day 11 of the puerperium associated with urinary tract infection and sepsis. A literature review was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, LILACS and Scopus, using the controlled vocabulary "Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced", "Preeclampsia"and "Eclampsia", combined with "Myasthenia Gravis", between 1960 and June 2020, in English and Spanish. Results: 12 case reports were found, two of these with eclampsia and MG, the case reported here was number 13. In eight cases patients did not receive any prophylactic drugs for eclampsia and three of them had convulsions. In the cases where magnesium sulfate was used, all developed myasthenic crisis. Conclusions: The current evidence regarding prophylactic management and treatment corresponds to case reports. The use of magnesium sulfate is contraindicated in patients with MG, therefore phenytoin and levetiracetam have been used.