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Myasthenia Gravis by Masnoo Adem

Page history last edited by Masnoo Adem 4 years ago

 

Myasthenia Gravis

by Masnoo Adem

 

General characteristics:

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease. It causes weakness in the skeletal muscles that are responsible for breathing and moving parts of the body like your arms and legs. Those with myasthenia gravis experience muscle weakness that affects muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, swallowing, breathing, and movement of the neck and limbs. This weakness worsens after moments of activity and lessens as the person rests.  

Myasthenia gravis is caused when there is an error in the way nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles. In this instance, normal communication between one’s nerves and muscles is interrupted at the neuromuscular junction. The neuromuscular junction is the place where cells connect with the muscles they control. Nerves communicate with your muscles by releasing neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that your neurons use to communicate information. These neurotransmitters that are released fit perfectly into receptor sites on the muscle cells. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that binds to these receptors and allows your muscles to contract. With myasthenia gravis, antibodies are produced by your immune system that block, alter, or even destroy many of the receptor sites needed for the acetylcholine to bind to. This creates a shortage of receptor sites that causes muscle weakness because your muscles now experience fewer nerve signals. Some of the antibodies can also block a protein called a muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase which is a protein involved with forming the neuromuscular junction.

 

Medical treatments:

There is no cure for myasthenia gravis, but there are treatments reduce muscle weakness and improve the state of the condition. The patient may get a thymectomy. A thymectomy is where the thymus gland is removed. Those with the condition may have abnormal glands and by removing it, symptoms can be reduced and could possibly rebalance the immune system. Another option is taking anticholinesterase medications or immunosuppressive drugs. Anticholinesterase medications slow the breakdown of acetylcholine at the junction, creating a better transmission between the nerves and muscles, and can improve muscle strength. Immunosuppressive drugs suppress the production of antibodies which can improve muscle strength. These drugs can cause some significant side effects so intake must be carefully monitored by a medical professional. Lastly, another treatment option is therapies known as plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobin. These are used in severe cases of myasthenia gravis. Plasmapheresis entails using a machine to remove the harmful antibodies present in one’s plasma and replacing them with good plasma. Intravenous immunoglobin is an injection of antibodies retrieved from a group of healthy donors that will temporarily change the way the patient’s immune system works. The injected concentration binds to the antibodies causing the myasthenia gravis and removing them.

 

Statistics:

Myasthenia gravis is the most common primary disorder of neuromuscular transmission. In the United States, the number of cases of myasthenia gravis is reported as 14 to 20 per 100,00 people. This is roughly about 36,000 to 60,000 cases. Studies have shown that myasthenia gravis affects more women than men. For women, the most common ages affected are those that fall in the second and third decades (the 20s and 30s). For men, the most common ages affected are those that fall in the seventh and eighth decades (the 70s and 80s). The mortality rate of myasthenia gravis has decreased from 7.5% to 4.5% in the last four decades. This is due to changes in treatment and prognosis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference links:

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Myasthenia-Gravis-Fact-Sheet

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myasthenia-gravis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352036

https://myasthenia.org/For-Professionals/Clinical-Overview-of-MG

https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7122/myasthenia-gravis

https://www.medscape.com/answers/793136-158055/what-is-the-prevalence-of-myasthenia-gravis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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