Treatment Of Myasthenia Gravis
October 23, 2008
Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease in which muscles of our body become very weak and we feel very tired due to reduced energy level of our body. Scientifically, myasthenia gravis is considered to be an autoimmune disorder. The antibodies block the acetylcholine at neuromuscular junction result in the weakness of the muscles in our body.
A person suffering from the myasthenia gravis feel better after taking a proper rest but a mild physical activity can may him feel very tired soon. The muscles of eyelid, muscles controlling the breathing, talking, chewing etc are affected in this disease. In some case the symptoms are really very mild and hence, can be ignored. Due to this the treatment of this disease gets delayed. Eye muscles are the highly affected muscles and hence, weakness of eye muscles is an easy symptom to detect myasthenia gravis. In some cases the symptoms are more visible and the muscles of legs, neck, arms, hand and other body parts become weak. If you find any of these symptoms in you, you should consult a doctor.
Myasthenia gravis is basically due to the problem in the transmission of impulses to the muscles of our body. At neuromuscular junction the communication between muscles and nerves somehow get disturbed. Apart from weakness in the muscles, the other visible symptoms of this disease are slurring in speech, difficulty in swallowing, blurred vision, stiffness in breathing etc. Though myasthenia gravis can occur at any age of our life, but it has been found to be more in the male above age group of 60 and female under age group of 40.
As discussed earlier that the symptoms of this disease at initial stage are very mild and hence diagnosis becomes quite difficult. However, different neurological and physical examinations, medical history and blood test can help in diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Various new techniques are being used for diagnosis of myasthenia gravis these days. Computed tomography and electromyography are examples of such techniques.
Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure known for this disease till today, but myasthenia gravis can be controlled through different therapies. Medications are being used for the treatment of this disease. These therapies and medications help in reducing the muscles weakness and ease the muscle movement. Moderate and regular exercise, balanced diet, intake of fresh fruits and vegetables are also helpful in reducing the weakness of muscles.
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