Myasthenia gravis is a Greek term meaning muscle weakness. This is a neuromuscular disorder that causes an irregular weakness and exhaustion of the muscles.

Sign and symptoms of myasthenia gravis are:

Fatigue and extreme weakness is experienced causing the muscles to become frail while performing any physical activity.

Ptosis of the eye on the affected side is noticeable.

Other muscles like those controlling facial expressions, talking, swallowing and chewing become vulnerable.

Muscles controlling the respiratory movement are also affected.

The muscles controlling the movement of the neck and the limbs are also at risk.

The onset of the disorder can be sudden or rapid. Often the symptoms are intermittent. The diagnosis of myasthenia gravis may be delayed if the symptoms are subtle or variable.

Diagnosis

It is very difficult to get a precise diagnosis for myasthenia gravis owing to the fact that its symptoms are faint and can be easily mistaken for those of some other neurological disorder.

Physical examination: This enables the doctor to test the muscular weakness for a number of muscles. A systematic investigation would include:

• Making the patient look upward and side ways for nearly 30 seconds.
• Making the patient look at his/her feet lying on the back for nearly 1 minute.
• Making the patient stretch the arms in the front for about 1 minute.
• Making the patient do reps of full knee bend exercise
• Making the patient walk nearly 30 steps once on the toes and once on the heels
• Making the patient do 5 complete sit ups

Blood tests: If the patient is suspected to be suffering from Myasthenia Gravis, then a blood test can be taken and serology can be performed on it. It would help in identifying the antibodies working against the acetylcholine receptor.

Neurophysiology: A test called receptive nerve stimulating test is used to find out the measure of the fatigue ability of the muscle. This is done by passing electrical impulses and weakened muscles fail to respond to the stimulation.

Edrophonium test: This test is taken only when the diagnosis is not made despite conducting all other tests. Treatment:

Myasthenia gravis can be treated by the help of medications or surgery. Cholinesterase inhibitors, immunosuppressant’s, acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors like neostigmine and pyridostigmine are some medications used for treating this condition. In case of an emergency, plasmapheresis can be a temporary solution.