What is Myasthenia Gravis

- Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic

muscle disease that causes weakness and
rapid fatigue of the voluntary muscles.

Myasthenia Gravis is an auto-

immune disease. That is, the
immune system produces antibodies that
react against your body’s tissue. In MG,
the muscles are the targets. The thymus
gland (that plays a role in the immune
system) is often abnormal in people with
Myasthenia Gravis.
•Condition where the body begins to attack or
target its own tissues.

•Autoimmune disorders result when the

human immune system which normally
functions only to seek out and destroy harmful
pathogens such as viruses or bacteria mistakes
some of its own cells as harmful and begins to
target them.

Antibodies target the neurotransmitter

receptors for acetylcholine at the
neuromuscular junction.

This causes intermittent or failure in the

transmission of the neurochemical messages
travelling down the nerves from the brain to
the muscle . 

This results in transient motor weakness in

muscles such as the face and limbs.
 Etiology: unknown. It is suggested
there may be deficiency of effective
acetylcholine or a defect in the motor
endplate, which reduces its ability to
respond.

Signs & Symptoms: skelatal muscles weakens,

more frequently the exeternal ocular,
pharyngeal, jaw, shoulder and arm muscles are
the first to be affected
There are currently four treatment options for this disorder:

 Enhancement of neuromuscular transmission with

 anticholinesterase agents

 surgical thymectomy (removal of the thymus, in effort todecrease the

body’s destructive autoimmune respsonse and induce remission of the
disease )

 immunosuppression (involves the use of

 immunosupressant drugs to dampen the body’s overall immune

response and subsequent autoimmune response)

 short-term immunotherapies, including plasma exchange and

intravenous immune globulin.