Is myasthenia gravis an autoimmune disease?

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“Myasthenia gravis” is an autoimmune disease, usually accompanied by abnormalities in the thymus. If the body has symptoms of myasthenia gravis, it will produce a type that tends to autoantibodies against Ach, causing the amount of this substance in the body to decrease, and at the same time reducing the response of the receptors. Ach body at the synaptic membrane site.

1. What is myasthenia gravis?

Myasthenia gravis, also known as Myasthenia gravis, is a typical autoimmune disease that causes conduction disturbances at important neuromuscular junctions, leading to impaired muscle functions. Normally, the conflicts from the nervous system in the body to the muscles to ensure that the muscles work will be based on a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (Ach).
If the body has symptoms of myasthenia gravis, it will produce a type that has a tendency to autoantibodies against Ach, causing the amount of this substance in the body to be reduced, and at the same time reducing the response of the immune system. Ach receptors at the synaptic membrane site. This will have consequences such as impaired or lost conduction of nerve impulses from nerve endings to the neuromuscular postsynaptic membrane, causing muscle weakness and paralysis.
In addition, people with myasthenia gravis may also be due to the main reason that the thymus gland has grown too strong, and it produces antibodies against Ach, causing the patient's body to become ill. Hypersensitivity to thymic tumors.

2. Typical signs of myasthenia gravis

Today, myasthenia gravis can occur at any age, but is most common in men over 50, and women under 40 or 70 years of age or older. The total number of people suffering from myasthenia gravis is only about 0.5/100,000 of the population, however, patients are often hospitalized when the disease has advanced to a late stage, leading to shortness of breath, or respiratory failure and rapid death. died afterwards.
This disease often develops silently in the body of the patient with the initial symptoms only transient, only in rare cases the disease progresses very quickly to the final stage. In addition, the disease can develop after a period of stress or infection (mostly respiratory infections), or during pregnancy, or during anesthesia.
The most characteristic sign of myasthenia gravis is that the patient has muscle weakness, the patient's body is weakened by one muscle or all of the muscles in the body. And the first clinical manifestations of myasthenia gravis are often concentrated in the muscles of the eyes, facial muscles, neck muscles, masticatory muscles. If the patient develops to the end stage, all the muscles in the body have suffered damage.

Statistics show that about 85% of patients with myasthenia gravis lead to damage to the motor muscles of the eyeball, causing eyelid drooping. In addition, some patients with myasthenia gravis may present with diplopia (double vision).

Usually, only about 5-10% of patients in the early stages of the disease and 80% of those in the advanced stages of the disease will have facial muscle damage. At this time, the patient will feel extremely difficult to chew, a feeling of difficulty in the throat. If the disease progresses to the later stages, all muscles are weakened, including the intercostal muscles, diaphragm, and abdominal wall muscles. Muscles become weaker and more painful at the end of the day or after vigorous exercise. In the most typical stage, the patient cannot even lift his arms or legs, can only sit to breathe.

3. Treatment for autoimmune myasthenia gravis

At reputable medical facilities, patients will be diagnosed with myasthenia gravis based on clinical symptoms and necessary tests such as:
Prostigmin test: Doctors will inject cholinesterase inhibitors. helps slow Ach molecules to be broken down, allowing muscles to work again. This test will be positive if the symptoms of myasthenia gravis are getting better. Electromyography: The action potentials of the muscles readily respond to diminished and repetitive nerve stimuli. CT and MRI: To determine the morphology, and nature of lesions of the thymus, anatomical relationship with other organs in the mediastinum. Mediastinoscopy, biopsy: Assists in determining the nature of thymic lesions. Test for anti-Achr autoantibodies: This is a test that brings high value in the process of diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of the disease.

4. Treatment of myasthenia gravis

To treat autoimmune myasthenia gravis, doctors will combine different methods reasonably to bring the best treatment effect to each patient's health condition. The main treatment methods are as follows:
Anti-Cholinesterase drugs: Neostigmine, Prostigmin, Mytelase, Mestinon... Immune system suppressants: Azathioprine (Imuran), Corticoids, Cyclosporine... Plasma separation (Plasmapheresis) Surgery resection of the tumor and the thymus In summary, if a patient has autoimmune myasthenia gravis, the patient should pay close attention to factors that may make the condition worse. You must ensure a nutritious diet, and at the same time prevent bacterial infections (pharynx, oral) while using immunosuppressive drugs. In addition, patients should also avoid mental stress, should not work too high or with continuous intensity that can damage the muscles.
Patients should not use any drugs that can cause muscle weakness such as muscle relaxants, sedatives, etc. reputable medical facility for timely diagnosis and treatment.
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