Myasthenia Gravis Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

• Muscle weakness that increases with muscle use/exercise, and improves after resting those muscles
• Weakness of muscles that control:
  • The eyelids
  • Eye movement
  • Facial expression
  • Chewing
  • Swallowing
  • Coughing
  • Breathing
  • Arm and leg movement
• Drooping eyelids
• Double and/or blurred vision
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty walking
• Weakness of the hand muscles
• Myasthenic crisis—a severe flare of symptoms, breathing may be significantly impaired

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. You may need to see a neurologist. This type of doctor is an expert in diseases of the nervous system.

Tests may include the following:

• Blood tests—to identify the presence of abnormal antibodies and to look for thyroid disease (more common in patients with MG)
• Electromyography (EMG) tests—to reveal abnormalities in muscle functioning
• Repetitive nerve stimulation—may show progressively increasing muscle weakness over the course of the test
• Tensilon test—a dose of a medication called edrophonium chloride is given, which will briefly improve muscle weakness
• CT or MRI scan of the chest—to look for a tumor of the thymus gland (thymoma)
• Pulmonary function testing —to assess how MG may be affecting your ability to breathe