The name of this disease is derived from Germanic and Latin roots and means "severe muscle weakness". Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disorder characterized by weakness of muscle groups. Myasthenia gravis is neither an inherited disease nor a contagious disease, but it can affect more than one family member.

Prevalence of myasthenia gravis

Many people are not diagnosed with the disease.
Myasthenia gravis can occur in any race, gender, or age, regardless of race, gender, or age.
It is more common in women under the age of 40 and men over the age of 60.

The cause of myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. This complication occurs when the normal connection between the nerve and the muscle in the neuromuscular connection is disrupted. Myasthenia gravis can’t be transmitted by contact
Antibodies
The antibodies produced can block the function of a protein called tyrosine kinase and cause problems. This protein is involved in the formation of the neuromuscular junction. The antibodies interfere with the function of this protein and cause the disease.
In rare cases, mothers with myasthenia gravis may give birth to children with the disease. If the disease is treated at birth, children with congenital myasthenia gravis will recover two months after birth. newborns have a rare and inherited type of myasthenia gravis called congenital myasthenia gravis.

Symptoms of myasthenia gravis

Muscle weakness is caused by severe myasthenia gravis.
When the muscle relaxes, the symptoms improve significantly, and the person will notice the symptoms of the disease only when the muscle is used. Anyway, the symptoms improve over time and will be severe only in the first few years after the onset of the disease.

However, myasthenia gravis can affect all the voluntary and controllable muscles of the body, some muscles and muscle groups are more prone to the symptoms of this disease than others, which we will mention below.
About half of the people with myasthenia gravis develop muscle disorders and eye muscle weakness. These people will show their first symptoms with the

following eye problems

Drooping of one or both eyelids (ptosis)
diplopia that may be horizontal or vertical and improve or disappear completely by closing one eye.

Diagnosis of myasthenia gravis

Your doctor may use the following strategies to check your health:

• Reactions

• Muscle strength

• Muscle volume

• Feelings of touch and sight

• Coordination

• the balance

• Edrophonium test

Injection of the chemical Edrophonium chloride, which causes a sudden and temporary improvement in muscle strength, is one of the medical solutions to diagnosis of myasthenia gravis more accurately. Edrophonium chloride blocks the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine.

Blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine causes signals to be transmitted from nerve terminals to muscle receptors.

Treatment of myasthenia gravis

There are many treatments for this disease that can be used alone or in combination. These treatments will help improve the signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis.
The choice of treatment depends on the age, the severity of symptoms, and the rate of spread of the disease in the patient.