The Cardiovascular
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Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL)

Patient-reported disease severity across 8 symptom domains in myasthenia gravis.

Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL)
Talking
Chewing
Swallowing
Breathing
Impairment of brushing teeth or combing hair
Impairment of ability to arise from a chair
Double vision (diplopia)
Eyelid droop (ptosis)
Result0 points

Higher scores reflect greater disease burden across ocular, bulbar, respiratory, and limb domains; a change of >=2 points is generally considered clinically meaningful.

When to use

  • Serial assessment of MG symptom burden in clinic and treatment trials.
  • Tracking response to symptomatic or immunomodulatory therapy.

Formula

Sum of 8 items (talking, chewing, swallowing, breathing, hygiene tasks, rising from a chair, diplopia, ptosis), each graded 0 (normal) to 3 (most severe); range 0-24.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • Recall period is the preceding 7 days (or since last visit if shorter).
  • Complements but does not replace quantitative exam-based scales (e.g., QMG) or the MGFA clinical classification.

References

  1. Wolfe GI, Herbelin L, Nations SP, Foster B, Bryan WW, Barohn RJ. Myasthenia gravis activities of daily living profile. Neurology. 1999;52(7):1487-1489.