How does the disease progress?
The course and severity of the disease vary greatly from patient to patient. Even in the same patient the symptoms fluctuate with exacerbations and remissions of symptoms. In a minority of cases the disease symptoms disappear spontaneously, but in most persist throughout life. However, current treatments, symptoms are adequately controlled.
What are the symptoms of myasthenia gravis?
The most characteristic symptom of myasthenia gravis is weakness that affects the voluntary muscles. This weakness becomes worse when the patient tries to make the same motion over and over again (muscle fatigue). Symptoms fluctuate in intensity, being generally worse in the last minute of the day when the patient is stressed, hot weather, during or immediately after infection or before menstruation in women. Certain medications, such as aminoglycoside antibiotics can also worsen symptoms of the disease.In two thirds of patients with myasthenia gravis, the first muscles affected by the disease are those that control eye movement or holding eyelids. In some patients, the disease affects only these muscles (ocular myasthenia), but in most other muscles are also affected various (generalized myasthenia). The characteristic symptoms of myasthenia gravis include:
Ocular myasthenia
- Drooping of the eyelids (ptosis) is usually intermittent, affecting one eye or both.
- Double vision (diplopia) may be intermittent, sometimes the patient just by looking at the note in one direction.
Generalized myasthenia
In general, patients with generalized myasthenia with ocular myasthenia symptoms, and also affected the muscles of other body:
- Face and bulbar muscles, patients have difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking and even smiling.
- Neck: patients have difficulty holding their head upright.
- Legs and arms: patients have difficulty climbing stairs and hold their hands up (for example, brushing hair).
- Respiratory Muscles: patients have difficulty breathing when exercising or when lying down.
credit to: Dra. María del Mar Carreño Martínez, Dra. Camilla Buckley, Dr. John Newsom-Davis
Posted in 
Tags: