Definition for myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (sometimes abbreviated MG; from the Greek myastheneia, lit. 'muscle disease', and Latin gravis, 'serious') is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating weakness and fatiguability. more

Myasthenia gravis (sometimes abbreviated MG; from the Greek myastheneia, lit. 'muscle disease', and Latin gravis, 'serious') is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating weakness and fatiguability. At about 14 cases per 100,000 (in the U.S.), it is one of the lesser known autoimmune disorders. The antigens and basic disorder mechanisms are known. Weakness is caused by circulating antibodies that block acetylcholine receptors or the MuSK protein at the post-synaptic neuromuscular junction, inhibiting the stimulative effect of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Myasthenia is treated with immunosuppressants, cholinesterase inhibitors and, in selected cases, thymectomy. less