Diagnosis and treatment of myasthenia gravis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is mainly acetylcholine receptor antibody-mediated acquired autoimmune disease that affects the postsynaptic membrane at the neuromuscular junction. The predominant manifestation is muscle weakness. Extraocular muscles are frequently affected in the early stage of disease with typical symptoms of intermittent drooping of the upper eyelid (ptosis) and double vision (diplopia), which is easy to be misdiagnosed as an ophthalmic disease. When the weakness of the face, bulbar, neck and limb muscles occur, it needs to be differentiated from a variety of diseases. Other clinical disorders can present in a similar fashion and may be mistakenly labeled as MG. This paper summarizes the epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, classification, auxiliary examination, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment progress of MG, which can be used as a reference for clinicians and neurologists.