| Myasthenia Gravis is a disease which appears to the
sufferer to weaken the muscles.
It is a disorder of the junction between the nerve
and the muscle, caused by the body's immune system attacking a vital
part of this junction - this impairs the ability of the nerve to cause
muscle contraction, and hence produces the apparent weakness.
The cause of this auto-immune reaction is not yet
known.
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| To someone affected by Myasthenia Gravis it means
that symptoms vary according to the amount of activity undergone, the
onset of infection or stress of any kind. As a result diagnosis by a GP
is extremely difficult. Also family and friends need a great deal of
understanding to come to terms with a relative or friend who seems
perfectly normal one moment, and a few hours, or even minutes later is
droopy and listless.
Activities taken for granted by most of us become
difficult or even impossible at times for myasthenics. Simple things
like eating food, lifting arms, speaking to friends or laughing.
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