At first, patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) or often called MGer, may not realize that her eyelids down by itself. But the longer, this rare disease will be more painful, even life-threatening.

Maybe not many people heard about the disease Myasthenia Gravis (Myasthenia Gravis / MG). This disease is rare, even unique name. However, once exposed, sufferers have to fight for life against this autoimmune disease.

MG is an autoimmune disorder that damages the muscle nerve Jointed resulting in muscle weakness. The cause is associated with an impaired immune system or autoimmune.

In the MG, the immune system produces antibodies that attack one type of receptor on the muscle nerve, causing interference with nerve transmission, muscle, resulting in disruption of muscle contraction.

“The most common symptom is in the eye muscles (ocular type), so eyelids suddenly fell, could be in one eye or both. It could also be double vision,” explains Dr. Ahmad Yanuar, SpS, neurologist from the RSCM in the Talkshow ‘Quality of Life With Myasthenia Gravis and Productive’ in Building A RSCM, Jakarta, Saturday (04/15/2012).

The initial symptoms are typical of MG is muscle weakness that mimic fatigue. Muscle weakness can usually be improved if the muscle was rested.

Not only in the eyes, MG can affect any muscle in the body, including facial muscles, neck, throat, upper arms, thighs and even life-threatening if it affects the chest muscle weakness resulting in respiratory failure.

Typical symptoms of MG include:
A. Eyelids ‘fall’ (ptosis)
2. Blurred vision or double vision (diplodia) because the muscles that affect the eye movements are affected
3. Difficulty swallowing
4. Difficulty speaking, sudden nasal or slurred
5. Head slumped
6. Difficulty smile
7. Difficulty lifting arm above your head
8. Difficulty standing from a sitting position
9. Difficulty climbing stairs
11. Shortening of breathing in the exhaled breath
12. Difficulty breathing in supine
13. If the condition is severe, all breathing can be stopped.

Every patient is different in terms of MG severity of muscle weakness. In some MGer, only the eye muscles are affected.

“Noteworthy is the MG patients should avoid stress and fatigue, because it could trigger a relapse,” Dr. Yanuar.

Too sad, stressed, tired, angry or overly excited can lead to MG patients have a relapse even to experienced respiratory failure due to airway nerves could not move.

In order to remain productive and quality life, Dr. Yanuar give some advice for people with MG, namely:
A. Must adjust to the disease
2. Take medication regularly
3. Avoid activities that cause stress and fatigue
4. Be careful when exposed to infection
5. Be careful taking medications, especially antibiotics.