Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis interferes with messages your nerves send to your muscles. Myasthenia gravis often affects muscles in your head. Common symptoms are trouble with eye and eyelid movement, facial expression and swallowing. If you have myasthenia gravis, it is important to follow your treatment plan. If you do, you can expect your life to be normal or close to it.

Myasthenia gravis is caused by a problem in the transmission of nerve signals to your muscles. Normally, nerve endings release a substance that attaches to receptors on your muscles. That tells your muscles to contract. If you have myasthenia gravis, your body's own immune system makes antibodies to block that signal.

Medicine can help improve nerve-to-muscle messages and make muscles stronger. Other medicines can keep your body from making so many abnormal antibodies. Sometimes surgery to take out the thymus gland helps.

Myasthenia Gravis on Wikipedia

'''Myasthenia gravis''' (MG, leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue (physical). It is one of the best known autoimmune disorders and the antigens and disease mechanisms have well been identified. Weakness is caused by circulating antibody that block acetylcholine receptors at the post-synaptic neuromuscular junction, inhibiting the stimulative effect of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Myasthenia is treated with immunosuppression and cholinesterase inhibitors.

Signs and symptoms

The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Certain muscles such as those that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often, but not always, involved in the disorder. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected. Although myasthenia gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, and swallowing are most frequently affected. The onset of the disorder may be sudden or rapid. Symptoms often are not immediately recognized as myasthenia gravis; a proportion only receives a diagnosis after more than a year. In most cases, the first noticeable symptom is weakness of the eye muscles. In others, difficulty in swallowing and slurred speech may be the first signs. The degree of muscle weakness involved in myasthenia gravis varies greatly among patients, ranging from a localized form, limited to eye muscles (ocular myasthenia), to a severe or generalized form in which many muscles - sometimes including those that control breathing - are affected. Symptoms, which vary in type and severity, may include asymmetrical ptosis (a drooping of one or both eyelids), diplopia (blurred or double vision) due to weakness ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

Rogue's Curse - Information detailing myasthenia gravis from a pamphlet published in 1989.

Myasthenia Gravis - Information from the University of Chicago with links to clinical trials.

Myasthenia Gravis: Management Intro - Management of MG: Introduction

NeurologyChannel - Myasthenia Gravis - Symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis.

General Practice Notebook - Myasthenia gravis - Clinically-oriented information including aetiology and epidemiology.

The Myasthenia Gravis Web Ring - Provides links to several related sites.

Myasthenia Gravis - Large collection of links and resources including treatment, diagnosis, special issues and an active mailing list for patients throughout the world.

Beyond the Limits: A Self Portrait of Myasthenia Gravis - A self-help book by Clete Gress about about MG and alternative remedies.

Ocular Myasthenia and Myasthenia Gravis - Details the disease through links as well as ocular myasthenia gravis and other auto immune diseases. Maintains a mailing list for patients around the world.

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) | MDA - Facts, symptoms, "ask the experts", research, clinical trials, articles and information about the help that the Muscular Dystrophy Association provides for this disease.

Myasthenia Gravis