Myasthenia Gravis is one of the most common autoimmune disorders, which is a group of diseases brought by the loss of tolerance to self-antigens. Since this autoimmune disorder has an annual incidence of between 2 and 4 per million, it has attracted considerable research in relation to its causes, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatments. Some examples of research on this disorder include the study by Romi, Gilhus & Aarli (2005) on the clinical, immunological and therapeutic advances of this disease as well as the systematic review of diagnosis and management of this disorder by Angelini (2011).
Angelini (2011) states that myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder caused by an autoimmune attack by the body on its own muscle endplate (p.2). In this case, an antibody binds to AChR o subunits or Musk and contributes to muscle weakness and unusual neuromuscular transmission. Similarly, Romi, Gilhus & Aarli (2005), state that this disorder is brought by autoimmune attacks by the body on its own muscles. However, these researchers state that the disorder is characterized by unpredictable pathological weakness with remissions or exacerbations on different skeletal muscle groups. They concur with Angelini (2011) that the pathological weakness is brought by antibodies to the AChR o at the neuromuscular junction.
Myasthenia gravis is diagnosed based on the anxiety and mood disorders. However, these studies concur that the disorder is diagnosed in three different ways i.e. through pharmacological testing, serological testing, electrophysiological testing, and image testing. These different ways of diagnosing MG emanates from the differences in the disorder's subgroup and/or severity.
With regards to prognosis of myasthenia gravis, Romi, Gilhus & Aarli (2005) state that the disorder becomes generalized within 3 years in 85% of the patients (p.134). The prognosis of this disease is generally good since disorder-related crisis takes place with a yearly incidence of 2.5%. Angelini (2011) holds the same view on the premise that the prognosis of this disorder is much improved in comparison to early years when it was linked to high mortality rate and severe disability (p.11).…
