Miselaneos

Myasthenia gravis

Overview

Myasthenia gravis is a rare long term condition or autoimmune disorder where¨ the body's immune system attacks its own tissue, weakening the voluntary muscles that control the eyes, the face, throat and limbs and the muscles that help us breathe. It is characterized by an interruption in the neuromuscular junction so no connection between muscles and nerves is possible; thit produce the weakness in the voluntary muscles. It is more common in women around the age of 30´s or 40´s.

Causes

Most of the time the immune system protects the body against disease but in rare situations it turns against its own tissue, leading to an autoimmune disease. In myasthenia gravis the immune system attacks and damages its own muscle cells. Myasthenia gravis occurs when the immune system makes antibodies that destroy the ACh receptor (AChR), a docking site for the nerve chemical acetylcholine (ACh). Some treatments block acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that breaks down ACh, while others target the immune system.The causes that produce this condition are not totally clear because it is also often associated with abnormalities of the thymus.

Symptoms

Although Myasthenia Gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, symptoms often are not immediately recognized as myasthenia gravis. Some symptoms that can appear are: difficulty in swallowing and slurred speech may be the first sign; Weakness of the eye and facial muscles, fatigue more quickly than usual is another symptom, but the degree of weakness may vary: in the first stage just the facial muscles are affected but in more advance stages or severe cases the muscles that control breathing are also affected; and the latter can be life threatening.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis is not easy because the symptoms can be confused with the ones of other diseases but the people that present mild weakness or in those individuals whose weakness is restricted to only a few muscles are the...