Update on myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder caused by autoantibodies against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor on the postsynaptic membrane at the neuromuscular junction and characterised by weakness and fatigability of the voluntary muscles. It has a bimodal peak of incidence with first peak in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Postgraduate medical journal 2004-12, Vol.80 (950), p.690-700
Main Authors: Thanvi, B R, Lo, T C N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acetylcholine receptor
AChR
Age
Age of Onset
Autoimmune diseases
autoimmune disorder
Biological and medical sciences
Diagnosis, Differential
Diseases of striated muscles. Neuromuscular diseases
endplate potential
Epidemiology
EPP
Female
General aspects
Humans
Immunoglobulins
Kinases
magnetic resonance imaging
Medical sciences
Molecular structure
Mortality
MRI
muscle specific protein kinase
MuSK
myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia Gravis - diagnosis
Myasthenia Gravis - etiology
Myasthenia Gravis - therapy
Neurology
Neuromuscular Junction - anatomy & histology
Neuromuscular Junction - physiology
Pathogenesis
Population
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - etiology
Prognosis
Review
Womens health
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder caused by autoantibodies against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor on the postsynaptic membrane at the neuromuscular junction and characterised by weakness and fatigability of the voluntary muscles. It has a bimodal peak of incidence with first peak in the third decade and the second peak in the sixth decade. It is probably underdiagnosed in the very old population. Our understanding of the pathogenesis, immunology, and molecular biology of myasthenia gravis has greatly improved in last three decades. It is almost always possible to establish the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis with the current tests. The modern treatment is highly successful and the mortality of treated myasthenia gravis is practically zero. However, there are still important gaps in our knowledge of the origin of myasthenia gravis, the factors that contribute to chronic disease, and the way to cure the disease. In this article the current knowledge of the various aspects of myasthenia gravis are outlined.
ISSN:0032-5473
1469-0756
DOI:10.1136/pgmj.2004.018903