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Myasthenia Gravis
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Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that gradually causes muscles to lose their strength and function. Autoimmune diseases are caused by the body making substances called antibodies that attack a person's own tissues. In myasthenia gravis, these antibodies are made against receptors in the neuromuscular junction (the area where nerve transmission makes a muscle do its work). Myasthenia gravis affects individuals differently, and each person may present with weakness in different sets of muscles. The April 20, 2005, issue of JAMA includes an article about diagnosing myasthenia gravis.
SYMPTOMS OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS
- Muscle weakness
- Double vision
- Weak eyelids
- Difficulty speaking or smiling
- Difficulty chewing and swallowing
Muscle weakness related to myasthenia gravis usually occurs after the muscle group is used and lessens if the muscle group has some rest. This is called fatigable weakness and is an important characteristic for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
DIAGNOSIS
Your doctor will take a medical history, asking . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Janet M. Torpy, MD, Writer;
Tiffany J. Glass, MA, Illustrator;
Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor
RELATED ARTICLE
Does This Patient Have Myasthenia Gravis?
Katalin Scherer, Richard S. Bedlack, and David L. Simel
JAMA. 2005;293(15):1906-1914.
ABSTRACT
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