Digital Phenotyping and Lifestyle Intervention in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis ( <scp>DIG</scp> ‐ <scp>MG</scp> ): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Feasibility, Adherence, and Effects on Fatigue
INTRODUCTION/AIMS: Physical activity and sleep influence fatigue in myasthenia gravis (MG), and digital health technologies (DHT) enable objective monitoring of these behaviors in daily life. Using this approach, we evaluated whether a lifestyle intervention targeting physical activity or sleep hygiene could reduce fatigue in MG. METHODS: In this three-arm, randomized controlled trial (DIG-MG; NCT05992025), 72 MG patients completed 6 weeks of baseline monitoring with a DHT ring (OURA), followed by 12 weeks of (i) physical activity guidance, (ii) sleep hygiene education, or (iii) observation, and a 6-week follow-up. The primary outcome was the MG Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score 1 week postintervention. Secondary outcomes included Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) scores; exploratory outcomes were DHT-derived physical activity and sleep parameters. RESULTS: Baseline MG-ADL scores were similar (median: 5.0). Postintervention medians were 4.0 (physical activity), 3.5 (sleep hygiene), and 3.0 (control), with no significant differences (p = 0.073). Clinically meaningful MG-ADL improvement occurred in six, seven, and six participants, respectively. FSS scores showed no group differences (p = 0.992), with clinically relevant improvement in eight participants in each intervention group and five controls. Participants were more physically active than expected: 64.7% exceeded 600 MET-min/week at baseline. DHT adherence was excellent. REM sleep was lower than expected, while deep sleep was preserved. Self-reported data aligned with DHT measurements. DISCUSSION: Digital lifestyle interventions were feasible and well-accepted but did not improve MG-ADL or FSS in this unusually active population. However, DHT-based monitoring may support individualized follow-up, and reduced REM sleep warrants further investigation as a fatigue-related factor.
Authors
- Maja Norling
- Elisabet Westerberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8250-1575)
- Susanna Jernelöv (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0633-8104)
- Julia Hedberg
- Anna Rostedt Punga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2178-9413)
- Klara Norman
- Ingela Nygren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0091-924X)
- N Eriksson
- Sui H. Wong
- Pernilla Åsenlöf
Institutions
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Uppsala University Hospital (SE)
- King's College London (GB)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Department of Medical Sciences (RU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Muscle & Nerve
- Published
- 2026-04-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.70234
- Primary Topic
- Myasthenia Gravis and Thymoma
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Familjen Erling-Perssons Stiftelse