Myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease in which antibodies attached to acetylcholine receptors which is critical factor for relation between nerve and muscles.
The main symptom is weakness of skeletal muscles, talking problems, problems lifting objects or arising stairs. The weakness typically increases with exercise and repetitive muscle use (fatigue) and varies over the course of a day and from day to day.
Panel test:
● Autoantibodies:
o Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies: There are three types of AChR antibodies: binding (most frequently tested), blocking, and modulating.
o Anti-MuSK (muscle-specific kinase) antibodies
o Anti-striated muscle antibodies
o Titin antibodies: Rheumatoid factor (RF)
o Cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (CCP)
o Antinuclear antibody (ANA)
o Thyroid panel and thyroid antibodies
● Immunogenetic:
o HLA-A1, B8, DR3, HLA-Bw35/DR1 (induced by penicillamine)
Reference:
1. Gilhus NE. Myasthenia Gravis. N Engl J Med. 2016; 375(26): 2570-2581. PubMed
2. Li Y, Arora Y, Levin K: Myasthenia gravis: Newer therapies offer sustained improvement. Cleve Clin J Med 2013 Nov;80(11):711-721.
3. Skjei KL, Lennon VA, Kuntz NL: Muscle specific kinase autoimmune myasthenia gravis in children: A case series. Neuromuscul Disord 2013 Nov;23(11):874-882.
