Screening for antibodies against the ganglionic acetylcholine receptor is used in patients with possible autoimmune autonomic nervous system neuropathies.
Antibodies against the ganglionic receptors of acetylcholine can be detected in approximately 50% of patients with autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG). The major antigenic part of the ganglionic acetylcholine receptor has been shown to be the alpha subunit 3. Symptoms are sometimes referred to as acute autonomic neuropathy or acute cholinergic neuropathy and idiopathic and paraneoplastic autonomic neuropathy. Antibody titers against the ganglionic acetylcholine receptor correlate with symptom severity, and a decrease in antibody titer during treatment accompanies improvement in symptoms.
