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Any connections between myasthenia gravis and vertigo?

By Anonymous June 22, 2011 - 6:01am
 
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My wife was 1st diagnosed with MG when she was 37 (in 1989). She had her Thymus removed, and with medication, she has done well. Recently, she has experienced vertigo.

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I have MG also. I do know that it is an autoimmune disease, as is Vertigo. In speaking with a friend who also has Vertigo, and several friends with autoimmune diseases, some have experienced additional AI diseases after being diagnosed with one. I don't believe there are any studies on it yet, but I think that once your immune system is compromised, it doesn't seem too surprising. Hopefully your wife has a good neurologist who is experienced with both of her conditions. Since my diagnosis, I have attended the annual MG conferences and there has been no discussions regarding medications contributing to additional AI diseases. Perhaps, you can check with the website (myasthenia.org) to see if they have a support group in your area to discuss it with another MG patient face-to-face as well.

October 27, 2011 - 10:43am

Hi Anon,

Sorry to hear that your wife is now having vertigo to add to the Myasthenia. Vertigo is not a known symptom or connection to the MG. Take a look at the medications that she is taking-- is there a new one that she recently started?
Common causes of vertigo include:

Inner ear disorders, such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Ménière's disease, vestibular neuritis, or labyrinthitis.
Injury to the ear or head.
Migraine headaches, which are painful, debilitating headaches that often occur with vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise, and smell.
Decreased blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the base of the brain (vertebrobasilar insufficiency).
Less common causes of vertigo include:

A noncancerous growth in the space behind the eardrum (cholesteatoma).
Brain tumors and cancer that has traveled from another part of the body (metastatic).
Immediate medical attention is needed if vertigo occurs suddenly with loss of function. Vertigo that occurs with loss of function in one area of the body can mean a problem in the brain, such as a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Alcohol and many prescription and nonprescription medicines can cause lightheadedness or vertigo. These problems may develop from:

Taking too much of a medicine (overmedicating).
Alcohol and medicine interactions. This is a problem, especially for older adults, who may take many medicines at the same time.
Misusing or abusing a medicine or alcohol.
Drug intoxication or the effects of withdrawal.

It's important when she experiences vertigo that she sits or lays down, has as little stimulation as possible, turn the lights off and have her close her eyes-- at least until you're able to speak to her doctor and determine where the vertigo is coming from.

All the best,

Rosa

June 22, 2011 - 7:05am
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Anonymous (reply to Rosa Cabrera RN)

Hello Rosa
I have had Myasthenia Gravis for 25 years now. starting when I was aged about 35. I too had symptoms of vertigo, especially when first diagnosed. I believe it was caused because my eyes were not moving correctly and were out of sync with what my inner ear was expecting to happen.
I hope this helps relieve some worry now that someone else has similar experiences with Myathenisa Gravis.

November 2, 2018 - 7:38pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello, Anon!

Thank you for sharing your story. It does help when similar experiences are shared.

Helena

November 3, 2018 - 6:19am
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