Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month

Every June summer rolls around and people start to gather up their free time for vacations, relaxing at home, and spending more time with friends and family. Summer is also a great time to spread awareness because there is less to worry about, like participating in upcoming holidays, work obligations, and school or community fundraisers. June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month—MG is an autoimmune disease that affects a person’s muscle control—and with no cure for this chronic condition, people suffering with it deserve a chance to spread the word.

By weakening the muscles, myasthenia gravis is estimated to affect 20 out of every 100,000 Americans, but researchers and scientists believe there could be many more suffering from myasthenia gravis because this complex disease is usually misdiagnosed.

Myasthenia gravis occurs when a patient’s immune system attacks the neurotransmitters in the brain that control your voluntary muscles. When a person with the disease stays inactive for a period of time, his or her muscles get stronger and, consequently, is more prone to weakness when they are physically active. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that the muscles affected by the disease vary but a lot of the little ones that control the face and intricate everyday movements that are taken for granted tend to be affected by myasthenia gravis: “Certain muscles such as those that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often, but not always, involved in the disorder. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected.”

The term myasthenia gravis comes from the Greek and Latin for “grave muscular weakness,” and can be diagnosed in any person regardless of age, gender, or race. Myasthenia Gravis has not officially been pronounced as hereditary or contagious, but has been known to occur in multiple family members.

The nerve pulses that trigger the brain to send directions to muscles are being interrupted by MG by way of receptor sites that connect the nerve fibers to muscle fibers. A chemical called acetylcholine is released from the nerve ending that travels across to the muscle fibers in order for the receptor sites to become activated so your muscles can move accordingly. With MG, the nerve receptor sites are damaged or blocked as much as 80 percent due to an abnormal antibody that destroys instead of protects.

MG awareness is needed because of the many cases that stay undiagnosed because of the mysteries behind the disease that act like other autoimmune diseases. The symptoms of a person who has developed MG are similar to those of a person who has suffered a stroke: drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty chewing or swallowing, blurred or double vision, arm and leg muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, and chronic fatigue in the muscles.

The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) is dedicated to finding a cure for MG with over 30 American chapters helping to raise money for research, get the word out about awareness, and provide a community of support for those living with MG and their families. Their biggest hope is a world without myasthenia gravis and our biggest hope is that readers will be able to learn about this chronic disease, find out how to be a volunteer at a local chapter, become an advocate for the cause, or make it a worthy charity at your next town fundraiser.