Myasthenia Gravis (MG Disease): Signs-Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment

What is myasthenia gravis (MG disease)?

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare muscle disease. The muscles are getting weaker. Antibodies in the blood damage the connection between muscles and nerves. It is an autoimmune disease.

The cause is not known. Young people with MG disease may have a tumor of the thymus (thymus). The thymus is a small organ in the chest, just behind the breastbone. Nearly two in ten myasthenia gravis patients have a tumor of the thymus. Half of these tumors are malignant.

Myasthenia gravis disease usually starts in the eye muscles or the muscles of the jaw and throat. For example you can get difficult to keep moving your eyes or open. You see therefore difficult, or double. Other complaints include slurred speech and difficulty chewing and swallowing. Very occasionally starts weakness in the arms, chest, or upper thighs.
The weakness by MG's worse when you are ill.
The weakness may spread to all muscles and slowly get worse. Sometimes it is even necessary as breathing weaken the respiratory muscles.

Myasthenia gravis may begin at any age. Almost half of the patients or reduce the symptoms disappear after a few years. With proper treatment, most people can live well with the disease. The removal of the thymus helps many patients who are younger than 50 years.

What are the signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG disease)?

Myasthenia gravis (MG disease) usually begins in the eye muscles or the muscles of the jaw and throat. In some people the disease begins with a general feeling of tiredness in the muscles. MG You can identify these problems:

1. You sometimes see double.
2. Hang your upper eyelids. Your eyes are hard to open.
3. If you are talking for long periods, slurred speech.
4. You will have trouble chewing. You also chokes faster.
5. You're struggling to keep your mouth closed. Your jaw and your head drop down.
6. You have a flat facial expression. This is due to weakened muscles in the face.
7. Your arms, hands and legs are getting weaker.
8. You can sometimes difficulty breathing and are stuffy.

The problems are worse when you are tired, when you exercise later in the day. Your muscles are weaker when you are sick, sleeping too little and strong emotions. At that moment a break. Then the muscles are stronger.
Some people with MG disease have severe attacks of muscle weakness (myasthenia crises). Such an attack can be life threatening if the respiratory muscles weaken sharply.
Approximately one out of seven people with MG only weaken the eye muscles. This is called ocular myasthenia gravis disease.

The first three to five years of complaints by MG usually slowly worse. Occasionally it seems that the disease is quite a while away. After those first years of the disease remains about the same. After several more years goes MG sometimes slowly again.

Myasthenia gravis diagnosis

You will receive an injection of an agent that enhances the contact between muscles and nerves. This temporarily enhances your muscle, you may have MG disease.

In addition, the doctor will test your blood for antibodies to acetylcholine receptors. In nine out of ten people with myasthenia gravis are these antibodies in the blood. In ocular MG is so five of the ten people. If the doctor finds no antibodies, let them make an electromyogram (EMG). Then they can see if the nerve messages transfers well to the muscle.

To see if you have a tumor of the thymus (thymoma), the doctor makes an MRI scan or a CT scan.

Treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG disease)

1. There are some medicines that improve the contact between your nerves and muscles. These agents have few side effects. But its impact is not as great.
2. The removal of the thymus (thymus) helps many patients younger than 50 years. In three out of ten people disappear MG result, four to five out of ten people are less sick. This operation is called thymectomy. A tumor of the thymus (thymoma) retrieves the doctor away as well. Doing so may be malicious.
3. You can get medications that suppress your immune system. Therefore your body is no longer your muscles. This type of medications are often corticosteroids. These medications work powerfully. After a few months you will notice improvement already. But the drugs do have many side effects.
4. Doctors can remove the antibodies from your blood with plasmapheresis or plasma exchange. You lie a time on a machine that cleans your blood. This treatment may be necessary in severe muscle weakness. Plasmapheresis can also support a different treatment.
5. You can receive injections of gamma globulins. Gammaglobulins his human blood proteins. They help to temporarily myasthenia gravis (MG disease). But they are very expensive. Usually the insurance covers these medications.