Facts about Myasthenia Gravis | MGFA
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What is Myasthenia Gravis?

What is Myasthenia Gravis, or MG?

  • A rare neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder.
  • Causes extreme fatigue and profound muscle weakness.
  • Impulses from the brain travel down nerves but are blocked by antibodies before impulses reach muscle. The body is essentially attacking itself and stopping muscle function.
  • Can impact a person’s ability to see, swallow, smile, walk, breathe, or engage in normal, everyday activity.
  • Learn more about what happens in your body when you have myasthenia gravis.

What are myasthenia gravis symptoms?

  • Drooping eyelids
  • Double vision
  • Trouble smiling
  • Trouble breathing or swallowing
  • Extremely weak arms, hands, or legs
  • Profound tiredness
  • Impeded mobility and movement

Who gets myasthenia gravis?

  • Anyone can be diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, though it’s more common in adults than children.
  • Women under 40 and men over 60 are more likely to be diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.
  • MG can occur regardless of race, gender, and age.
  • More than 70,000 people are diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in the United States alone.

How do you diagnose myasthenia gravis?

  • A neurologist or neuromuscular specialist usually diagnoses myasthenia gravis with a blood test or specialty tensile tests.
  • It can be diagnosed with other kinds of tests as well.
  • Learn more about these tests.

How do you treat myasthenia gravis?

  • There is no cure for myasthenia gravis, but there are treatments to manage symptoms.
  • Some people can go into remission, but for many people, myasthenia gravis is a chronic illness.
  • Learn more about treatment strategies.

What should you know about having myasthenia gravis?

  • Everyone’s disease presents a little differently – that’s why myasthenia is known as a “snowflake disease.”
  • Myasthenia can be difficult to diagnose. Some people go years without a correct diagnosis.
  • Myasthenia symptoms often improve with rest.
  • Symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day, week by week, or month by month.
  • People with MG are so much stronger than their weakest moments!
  • Learn more about MG from the MG community.

Hear from people who have myasthenia gravis


Learn more about myasthenia gravis

 

 

A World Without MG