Myasthenia gravis is also known as Erb-Goldflam disease. It affects the neuromuscular system, resulting in skeletal muscle weakness of varying degrees.
Table of contents:
- Causes and symptoms of myasthenia gravis
- Symptoms of myasthenia gravis
- Diagnosis and treatment of myasthenia gravis
In myasthenia gravis, the immune system (immune system ) attacks the body's own healthy acetylcholine receptors, which then work with little or no effect. Consequently, despite the impulses sent to them, the muscles do not function properly. Myasthenia gravis usually appears in women around the age of 40 and in men around the age of 60.
The initial stages of the disease do not look threatening, but over time symptoms develop that make it difficult to function normally.
Causes and symptoms of myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack healthy acetylcholine receptors. The consequence of this is that the acetylcholine receptors become sluggish or non-existent, with the result that muscles do not function properly despite the impulses sent to them.
Under normal conditions, the receptors for acetylcholine are stimulated, leading to muscle activity. Research indicates that the disease originates in the thymus gland (myasthenia gravis patients have a strongly enlarged thymus gland and tumours in this organ).
Symptoms of myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a disease characterised in its early stages by, among other things, drooping eyelids, problems with vision, visual acuity or double vision. Over time, these symptoms worsen and are accompanied by other symptoms such as: drooping of the head, articulation problem (weakness), jaw drooping, severe muscle fatigue (when performing very short walking activities), breathing disorders. Over time, the patient has difficulty walking a very short distance on their own feet or carrying an object in their hands.
Along with muscle weakness, additional symptoms such as sweating, anxiety, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, sweating or salivation, among others, occur.
Similar symptoms to myasthenia gravis can occur in the case of cancer or connective tissue diseases .
Diagnosis and treatment of myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a disease whose diagnosis is not straightforward. It requires a detailed history by a neurologist, observation of the patient's accompanying symptoms (drooping eyelids, severe fatigue and others) and tests (blood tests, CT scans, electromyography).
The treatment of myasthenia gravis involves the administration of drugs that break down acetylcholine into choline. For most patients, surgical removal of the thymus gland is also necessary.
