Is myasthenia gravis life threatening?

Myasthenia gravis is a rare and mysterious auto immune disorder that affects the muscles. At first blush, the condition seems like something straight out of a comic book – Batman’s arch enemy Joker can’t even tense his facial muscles into an evil grin thanks to myasthenia gravis.

The fact of the matter is, though, that myasthenia gravis is very real and debilitating for those who suffer from it. In this article we will dive deep into this strange condition to try and understand whether or not it poses a legitimate threat to your life.

What Exactly is Myasthenia Gravis?

Before we delve into the potential lethality of myastheinia gravis, let us first try and establish what exactly it is. This might be difficult as there are plenty of theories about how it develops but no one really knows why.

Let’s give you some background info:

  • Mythis means “muscle” in Greek while astheneiais derived from “a-sthene” which means “without strength”. The Latin word for muscle weaknessis Gravissimus, hence myasenthina gravissimus.
  • It occurs when your body erroneously produces antibodies against its own acetylcholine receptors(the neurotransmitter responsible for signaling between nerves).
  • Therefore preventing normal communication signals between your nerve endingsand involuntary/striated(acts voluntarily with conscious control) muscles leading to sporadic strength reduction or impotence over time.
  • Symptoms include difficulties swallowing,chewing,arguing or simply getting annoyed because you have little energy, pains around their eyes,tiring quickly when physically active,sagging eyelids,double vision
    (referred together as ocular MG)
    Weakness whensimply raising arms,pins-and needles,numbness,muscles failing when breathing,coughing or talking (referred to as generalized MG)

There is still so much we don’t know about this condition, and it leaves many people feeling in the dark.

Is Myasthenia Gravis a Life Threatening Condition?

Myasthenia gravis affects everyone differently. For some, it only causes mild discomfort and occasional flare-ups. For others, though, the symptoms can be severe enough to require hospitalization.

So let’s say it louder for those in tinnitusland: IT CAN BE LIFE THREATENING!!!!

Here are some examples why:

Respiratory Failure

If myasthenia gravis leads to such weakening of respiratory muscles – which happens particularly with patients who have generalized myasthenia–it’s very possible that their breathing could stopcompeteley or worsen when healing after surgery/blood transfusion(since medication dosages tend to get modified during these optional procedures). This possibility makes each general anesthesia a gamble and intubation complicated hence restricting surgical options if really required.

Myasthenic Crisis

Some particular situations can cause MG flares resultingin involuntary movements especially haphazard breating accompanied by confusing chest pains sounds while keeping you away from speaking your mind; but appear more metaphoric given each one should not go through alone.. A strong examplethat fully summarizes all unsympathetic issues including BAE reality dance show eviction is “Useful Mechanism”,tragic name right? These crisis tend resurfaces painfully at bed time,due dawn harshness attacks,infectious moments,gross overdosage,pregnancy which escalates quickly into weakness hence increasing risk of serious muscle failure which spike suddenly leading to organ failures

Side Effects of Medications Used for Treatment,

which unfortunately is meant to manage rather than eliminate myasenthina gravissimus cells(its not …… POOF gone!) .They also come with multitude of side effects like severe gastrointestinal malfunctions, tremors; and worse of all – increased risk of infections!

The severityof these risks varies from patient to patient. However, they can be minimised by regular check-ups for medication evaluation,councilingand change as requiredotherwise you might end up using a chair instead.

Positive Outlook

But while myasthenia gravis can certainly pose a serious threat in some cases, it’s important not to let fear control your life. There are many treatment options available that have proven successful at managing symptoms and keeping the condition under control.

Treatment
Lymphapheresis(plasma exchange)
Admittedly,thispractices remains experimental but ongoing research keeps indicating positive therapeutic results especially where immune-suppressants aren’t optimal due to unsuitable addiction/or resistance: here antibodies (including auto-antibodies causing MG as earlier discussed), together with red & white blood cells are separated through centrifugal means hence clearing out any unwanted material.
Intravenous Immunoglobulin(IVIG)
It’s been used since 80s whereby antibodies found In donor plasma increases Acetylcholine levels leadingto signal transmission smoothness over temporal periods.
Thymectomy
Majority of the time Thmus supports immunological maturation during infancy after which it outlives usefulness.This makes long term presence impared membrane self damage root causein majority cases commonly experienced.BUT!!,If removed early before involuting thus reducing proliferation rate on self contaminating autoimmune agent .

Take Control Of Your Life
At the end of the day, myasthenia gravis isn’t something that should hold you back from living your life fully. While there will undoubtedly be challenges along the way, staying informed about this rare condition is critical to effectively managing its symptoms and maintaining an optimistic outlook for tomorrow

Bottomline?
It is important to understand that myasthenia gravis has a potential to be life threatening, but not in all cases. The severity of the condition varies from patient to patient and should always be managed under close medical supervision with regular check-ups till symptoms are regulated.

Don’t let it get you down….KEEP CALM EXERCISE REGULARLY(as recommended) EAT A BALANCED DIET; LIMIT STRESSFUL TRIGGERS BUT IF FLARE UPS HAPPEN FREQUENTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY: BUCKLE UP AND ENJOY THE RIDE! 😉👍

Random Posts