https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87 A Muscle Disorder en-us 2017-12-08 01:44:10 UTC 2026-03-25 00:11:00 UTC hello@padlet.com karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214369951 Myasthenia Gravis is a muscle disorder in which the affected person experiences rapid muscle fatigue in voluntarily controlled muscles. So, a simple thing like lifting your arm up and holding it there for a few seconds could be pretty trying for someone with MG]]> 2017-12-08 01:47:27 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214369951 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214369985 The cause of this disorder is that the afflicted person's immune system goes haywire, suddenly deciding that it really doesn't like the acetylcholine receptors in the sarcolemma. The body's immune system creates little antibodies that block up or even completely destroy the ach receptors, making it so that the brain is still trying to send the same amount of signals to the muscles to get them to contract, but the muscles just can't receive the signals.
  Another potential cause of MG is that the antibodies will halt/block up the production of a protein that helps with building the neuromuscular junction. Without the junction, the ach has nowhere to come out from, meaning that the brain still sends the same amount of signaling, but the muscles yet again do not receive the brain's signals.]]> 2017-12-08 01:47:48 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214369985 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370008 A few symptoms of MG are a subtle to mildly strong sense of tiredness/muscle fatigue in various parts of the body. As time goes on, this fatigue will usually worsen, usually being the worst after a few years of its contraction.
       The symptoms of this disorder usually occur once the symptoms have shouted their presence to the afflicted person's brain (meaning that a person with MG can usually fend off their fatigue to the point of appearing normal, at least for the first few months or so). The most common signs are a drooping of the eyelids, double vision, difficulty swallowing, somewhat warped speaking, etc. Just think of it like this: the person can do pretty much everything a healthy person can do, but they're in that constant state of recovery that happens after an overly thorough workout; with the workout having been applied to every muscle in their body.]]> 2017-12-08 01:48:03 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370008 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370049 On a microscopic level, little antibodies that the body had made specifically for the purpose of blocking up the acetylcholine receptors wander into the muscle fiber and bond to the receptor in just the place where the ach would've bonded. With their receptors all blocked up, the ach just wanders around with nowhere to go. 
  Sometimes, there are slightly different antibodies that attack a protein called tyrosine kinase, which essentially destroys the receptor, if the other antibodies hadn't done that already.]]> 2017-12-08 01:48:29 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370049 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370192 The nervous system is affected by myasthenia gravis in that it is the system that sends the signals to the muscles to get them to contract, and, due to the antibodies, the neuromuscular junctions (within which the signals are received by the muscle cells) are rendered somewhat useless due to there being no place for the acetylcholine to be received. 
  Another part of the body that is affected is the thymus gland. In most people, the thymus gland is large during childhood, and is gradually replaced with fat after puberty, its purpose of generating T-Lymphocytes having been completed. However, in people with MG, their thymus glad has not only refused not shrink, but has, in some cases, grown slightly.]]> 2017-12-08 01:49:53 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370192 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370227 Overall, there isn't too drastic of a change on most people's lives; they just have to take it a little easier than the rest. You get tired more quickly because your body is only using a fraction of the muscles it was given to move your body, so you have to rest more. ]]> 2017-12-08 01:50:13 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370227 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370385 It can be somewhat difficult to diagnose MG directly off the bat, as many of the symptoms for MG also are symptoms of other diseases. One approach you can take to test for myasthenia gravis is to test your reflexes, muscle tone, sight, and balance, then see how you compare to the average results. You could also have a blood test performed, so that your doctor can see whether or not you have acetylcholine receptor antibodies (the ones that attach to the ach receptors and don't allow the ach to connect to them). 
  Or, you could perform a simple ice-test, where you just put ice over an affected muscle group, or you soak your muscles in a small ice-bath. This could even be done on such a small scale as putting an ice-cube over your eyelid for a minute or two. If your iced muscles become significantly weaker than normal, you likely have MG (or some other muscle-weakening disorder, as this particular test is not very accurate).]]> 2017-12-08 01:51:17 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370385 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370408 There are a few treatments for MG, but these are only treatments, not cures. For the most part, there are just drugs that suppress the immune system, like Imuran, prednisone, and cyclosporine. Or, you could also have your thymus glad removed, or have your blood filtered of all the antibodies that are targeting your muscles.]]> 2017-12-08 01:51:43 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370408 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370485 Microscopic Level Picture:
https://myastheniagravisbiol2095.wordpress.com/how-does-myasthenia-gravis-affect-the-body/
Thymus Gland Picture:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myasthenia_gravis#/media/File:Gray1178.png
Nerve Cell Picture:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myasthenia-gravis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352036
Other:
https://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-myasthenia-gravis-basics#1

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AMyasthenia-gravis.webm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myasthenia-gravis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352036

https://www.verywell.com/myasthenia-gravis-2860863

http://www.myastheniagravis.org/about-mg/diagnosis/]]> 2017-12-08 01:52:49 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370485 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370510 Just because you live with MG, that doesn't mean that you can't live a full life. There is no cure for MG as of yet, and sometimes the muscle weakness can spread to the muscles that control breathing, leading to hospitalization. But, in general, the treatments are usually effective in minimalizing the fatigue to a point that could almost be considered normal.]]> 2017-12-08 01:53:10 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370510 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370563 There is no real pattern that has been discovered about this disorder. In women, you're usually in your twenties or thirties, but in men, you're usually closer to your fifties or sixties. There doesn't seem to be any clear reason for this age difference. The disease is not inherited, nor is it contagious. However, babies who are born to mothers with myasthenia gravis often experience the symptoms of mg for the first few months or so of their lives.]]> 2017-12-08 01:53:46 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214370563 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214375499 2017-12-08 02:48:15 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214375499 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214377505 2017-12-08 03:08:44 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214377505 karricke https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214380464 2017-12-08 03:44:03 UTC https://padlet.com/karricke/iqwzxpt68p87/wish/214380464