Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease which causes the muscles to weaken. Most people who suffer from this disease first develop “ocular myasthenia”, which affects the muscles that control the eyes and the movement of the eyelids. This causes drooping of the eyelid, blurred vision or double vision.
Most patients with the ocular type of this disease can also develop weakness in other muscles of the body (systemic myasthenia gravis) in one or two years. Systemic myasthenia gravis affects the muscles of the face, eyes, limbs, as well as the muscles used to chew, swallow and speak. When the muscles necessary for breathing get affected, the patient gets into a myasthenic crisis – a life endangering situation.
Usually, people with myasthenia gravis experience periods of muscle weakness followed by periods of no symptoms of the disease whatsoever.
The first symptoms of myasthenia gravis usually affect the eyes. The most common sign is ptosis (or drooping eyelids). If you have myasthenia gravis, you can also feel exhaustion which gets worse over the entire day.
Other symptoms of myasthenia gravis include:
- Double vision
- Weakness in the arms and legs
- Difficulties breathing, speaking, chewing or swallowing.
Treatment can include one or more of the following therapies:
- Medications that can help improve neuro-muscular communication and increase muscle strength
- Medications that improve muscle strength by suppressing the production of unusual antibodies
- Thymectomy (a surgery for removal of the thymus gland)
- Immunoglobulins delivered intravenously