Prognosis
Patients who suffer from Myasthenia Gravis are the ones who come with initial complaints of having weakness in their eye muscles. They are unable to move their eyes in all directions as they wish. This can be accompanied by ptosis in one or both eyes along with double vision. The course of these symptoms varies from person to person, with some experiencing it frequently and the rest not so much. The occurrence of these symptoms is more in the first year from the start of the symptoms.
Almost all patients who complain of ocular muscle weakness end up experiencing weakness in their facial and limb muscles within a few years’ time. There are also some individuals who get severely affected by this disease and it goes on to affect their respiratory muscles. This leads to respiratory failure and even death. Therefore, in order to save such patients from this fatality, doctors ask such patients to immediately visit a healthcare facility if they face any kind of problems in respiration.
There are also illnesses that worsen the symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis, which include thyroid disorders, viral infections, and even pregnancy. The mortality rate of Myasthenia Gravis is not very high, but the ones who suffer from it lead a poor quality of life as their limbs stop functioning properly and they usually require help from others to perform their day-to-day tasks. Since Myasthenia Gravis is a life-long condition, patients have to deal with this condition throughout their lives, they can only use medicines to help better their symptoms for a short period of time.
References
- Statland JM, Ciafaloni E. Myasthenia gravis: Five new things. Neurology: Clinical Practice. 2013 Apr 1;3(2):126-33.
- Jayam Trouth A, Dabi A, Solieman N, Kurukumbi M, Kalyanam J. Myasthenia gravis: a review. Autoimmune diseases. 2012 Oct;2012.
- Phillips WD, Vincent A. Pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis: update on disease types, models, and mechanisms. F1000Research. 2016;5.
- Wendell LC, Levine JM. Myasthenic crisis. The Neurohospitalist. 2011 Jan;1(1):16-22.
- Juel VC, Massey JM. Autoimmune myasthenia gravis: recommendations for treatment and immunologic modulation. Current Treatment Options in Neurology. 2005 Jan;7(1):3-14.
