Symptoms include shortness of breath and breathing problems. This is a medical emergency that needs hospitalisation and prompt medical treatment, including the use of a ventilator to assist breathing. Some of the triggers of myasthenic crisis include physical stress, pregnancy or infection. When myasthenia is properly treated, crisis is very rare. And when crisis does occur, it has a good rate of recovery, thanks to a wide range of treatments and the quality of respiratory care at most hospitals.
The majority of people with myasthenia gravis have antibodies to one of these proteins and this confirms the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Electromyography EMG uses electrodes to stimulate muscles and evaluate muscle function. Muscle contractions that become progressively weaker may indicate myasthenia gravis. It involves an injection of a drug called Tensilon, which temporarily improves muscle strength in people with myasthenia gravis.
Chest x-ray, CT scan or MRI may be performed to examine the thymus gland, because abnormalities of the thymus are often linked with myasthenia gravis. Treatment for myasthenia gravis There is no cure for myasthenia gravis, but the symptoms can be managed. Some of the treatment options include: changes to lifestyle — such as getting adequate rest every day and minimising physical exertion anti-acetylcholinesterase agents — the most commonly prescribed anticholinesterase medication is pyridostigmine Mestinon.
These drugs prevent ACh destruction and increase the accumulation of ACh at neuromuscular junctions, improving the ability of the muscles to contract. The benefits of Pyridostigmine occur within 30 to 60 minutes, but wear off in three to four hours, so tablets should be taken at regular intervals throughout the day.
Side effects include excessive salivation, involuntary muscle twitching fasciculation , abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhoea. Other drugs may be used with anticholinesterase medications to reduce gastrointestinal side effects corticosteroids — such as prednisone suppress the antibodies that interfere with the function of the neuromuscular junction and may be used in conjunction with anticholinesterase medication. Corticosteroids improve symptoms within a few weeks and once improvement stabilises, the dose is slowly decreased.
A low dosage may be used indefinitely to treat myasthenia gravis. However, side effects such as gastric ulcers, osteoporosis bone thinning , weight gain, high blood sugar, and increased risk of infection may develop over the long term other immunosuppressive drugs — such as azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil CellCept may be effective with fewer side effects than corticosteroids.
Cyclophosphamide and cyclosporin are considered effective against myasthenia gravis, but because of their side effects they are only prescribed as a last resort when other medications are not effective plasmapheresis — blood is taken out and the acetylcholine receptor antibodies are removed.
The results only last a few weeks, as the immune system continues to create the antibodies. Plasmapheresis is often used to help resolve a myasthenic crisis. The benefits of thymectomy develop gradually and most improvement occurs years after the procedure is performed, but it is believed to be the only treatment capable of producing long-term, drug-free remission. Myasthenia gravis , MDA. Read more about how myasthenia gravis is treated.
Myasthenia gravis is a long-term condition that typically has phases when it improves and phases when it gets worse. It usually affects most of the body, spreading from the eyes and face to other areas over weeks, months or years. In about 1 in 5 people, only the eye muscles are affected. Treatment can usually help keep the symptoms under control. Very occasionally, myasthenia gravis gets better on its own. If severe, myasthenia gravis can be life-threatening, but it does not have a significant impact on life expectancy for most people.
Myasthenia gravis is caused by a problem with the signals sent between the nerves and the muscles. It's an autoimmune condition, which means it's the result of the immune system the body's natural defence against infection mistakenly attacking a healthy part of the body.
In myasthenia gravis, the immune system damages the communication system between the nerves and muscles, making the muscles weak and easily tired. It's not clear why this happens, but it's been linked to issues with the thymus gland a gland in the chest that's part of the immune system.
Myasthenic crisis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the muscles that control breathing become too weak to work. Emergency treatment and mechanical assistance with breathing are needed. Medications and blood-filtering therapies help people to again breathe on their own.
Some people with myasthenia gravis have a tumor in the thymus gland, a gland under the breastbone that is involved with the immune system. Most of these tumors, called thymomas, aren't cancerous malignant.
Myasthenia gravis care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Receptors Open pop-up dialog box Close. Receptors Chemicals messengers, called neurotransmitters, fit precisely into receptor sites on your muscle cells.
Thymus gland Open pop-up dialog box Close. Thymus gland The thymus gland, a part of your immune system situated in the upper chest beneath the breastbone, may trigger or maintain the production of antibodies that result in the muscle weakness.
Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Myasthenia gravis. Rochester, Minn. Clinical overview of MG. Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. Accessed April 1, Jameson JL, et al. Myasthenia gravis and other diseases of the neuromuscular junction.
In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. New York, N.
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