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Myasthenia gravis is an incurable autoimmune disease that affects the muscles and the nerves that control them. It occurs when the parts of the immune system that normally attack bacteria and viruses (antibodies) accidentally attack the connection between the nerve and muscle, also known as the neuromuscular junction. This causes muscle weakness that can become severe enough to interfere with breathing and swallowing saliva or food, resulting in food or saliva going into your airway. Serious complications like these can result in injury or even death if left untreated.
Myasthenia gravis happens more often in young women (under 40) and older men (over 60), but can impact anyone at any age. For pregnant women with the disease, it is very important to follow your doctor’s recommendations for prenatal care. Babies born to mothers with myasthenia gravis usually do not get the disease but may suffer weakness for a few weeks following birth.
The most-common and milder symptoms of myasthenia gravis are:
Symptoms may get worse as the day goes on or after:
Mild symptoms may get better with rest. Severe symptoms include having trouble breathing and not being able to swallow. This becomes more likely when rest fails to resolve mild symptoms.
Call your doctor If you experience:
If you have trouble breathing or choke badly, you might need to call 911 and go directly to the emergency room.
Here are providers near Zip Code: 84111
With myasthenia gravis, antibodies in the immune system block the production of a chemical in the body called acetylcholine, which is released by nerve endings to activate muscles, creating movement. Blocking this chemical causes weakness.
The disease can result from a tumor in the thymus (an important immune system organ located in the neck that produces a key type of white blood cell).
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and perform a physical examination to check for muscle weakness, reflexes, and sensation (what you can feel).
You will likely have some blood work and other tests. More blood work might be ordered to look for signs that the immune system might be attacking the muscles.
Your doctor may order a nerve conduction study, called electromyography (or EMG), which is a test that checks the health of the muscles and the nerves that control the muscles.
There is no cure for myasthenia gravis, but people with the disease can experience long-term remission. Treatments include:
Severe episodes may be treated by a procedure that removes plasma (clear part of the blood) with the antibodies and replaces it with donated plasma or other fluids that don’t have these antibodies. An alternate procedure injects healthy antibodies into the plasma.
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