Autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction

Myasthenia gravis is an disorder of the immune system, whereby a persons immune cells attack their own body where the nerve communicates with the muscle. Without this connection, messages from the brain to make muscles move cannot be received, resulting in muscle weakness. The cause is unknown and it affects 14 in 100,000 people in America. Common signs are due to fatigued muscles that become worse with use, including inability to open the eyelids, difficultly speaking and eating, and limb weakness. Muscle weakness is exacerbated by comorbid conditions such as viral infections, thyroid dysfunction, hyperthermia, menstruation and pregnancy. Myasthenia gravis is diagnosed in children via blood tests, a drug test that challenges the muscle weakness, which is positive if strength improves, and muscle fatigability tests by observing a child doing repetitive movements which bring about weakness. It can be treated with medications to upgrade chemical messages in the neuromuscular junction, and medications to dampen down the immune response, removal of the thymus gland that is important in childhood immunity, and cleaning the blood of antibodies via plasmapheresis. Occasionally the condition can spontaneously resolve, but there is no cure. It can become fatal if the muscles controlling breathing are involved, but the majority of cases are well maintained on medication.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by About

Related Disease Topics:

• Myasthenia gravis
• Autoimmune disease
• Viral infections
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Hyperthermia
• Menstruation
• Pregnancy

Related Symptom Topics:

• Muscle weakness
• Inability to open the eyelids
• Difficultly speaking
• Difficulty eating
• Limb weakness
• Muscle fatigability

Article Source Details

About: Autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction

Date: 2005

Source: About

Author: Mary Kugler

URL: http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/myastheniagravis/a/071901.htm

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Cause of muscle weakness
• Cause of inability to open the eyelids
• Cause of droopy eyelids
• Cause of difficultly speaking
• Cause of difficulty eating
• Cause of limb weakness
• Cause of muscle fatigability
• Cause of myasthenia gravis
• Cause of autoimmune disease
• Risk and viral infections
• Risk and thyroid dysfunction
• Risk and hyperthermia
• Risk and menstruation
• Risk and pregnancy
• Risk and autoimmune disease
• Risk and autoimmune condition
• Risk and diaphragm weakness
• Risk and muscle weakness
• Risk and inability to open the eyelids
• Risk and difficultly speaking
• Risk and difficulty eating
• Risk and limb weakness
• Risk and muscle fatigability
• Diagnosis
• Diagnosis and myasthenia gravis
• Diagnosis and autoimmune disease
• Diagnosis and autoimmune disorder
• Diagnosis and autoimmune illness
• Diagnosis and blood test
• Diagnosis and anticholinesterases
• Diagnosis and cholinesterase inhibitors
• Diagnosis and muscle weakness
• Diagnosis and inability to open the eyelids
• Diagnosis and droopy eyelids
• Diagnosis and difficultly speaking
• Diagnosis and difficulty eating
• Diagnosis and limb weakness
• Diagnosis and muscle fatigability
• Diagnosis and neuromuscular
• Surgery and thymus removal
• Medication
• Medication and muscle weakness
• Medication and inability to open the eyelids
• Medication and droopy eyelid
• Medication and difficultly speaking
• Medication and difficulty eating
• Medication and limb weakness
• Medication and muscle fatigability
• Medication and myasthenia gravis
• Medication and autoimmune disease
• Medication and anticholinesterases
• Medication and cholinesterase inhibitors
• Medication and neuromuscular junction
• Medication and steroids
• Medication and corticosteroids
• Medication and immune suppressants
• Medication and plasmapheresis

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