Мyasthenia gravis complicated by comorbid pathology

Abstract

Acquired myasthenia gravis is a rare pathology of the spectrum of neuromuscular disorders and is characterized by the production of autoantibodies to various components of the neuromuscular synapse. The clinical picture is based on typical symptoms: dynamic ptosis, oculomotor dysfunction, diplopia, masticatory muscle weakness, pathological muscle fatigue, in case of dominance of oropharyngeal muscle weakness, patients complain of dysphagia, dysarthria, dyspnea resulting from insolvency.. This variant of the disease is the most dangerous, as it is characterized by a high risk of myasthenic crisis. In addition, the course of myasthenia gravis may be complicated by the development of comorbid pathology, which can be classified into four main groups. These include causal conditions in the development of diseases with a single mechanism of development for myasthenia gravis, such as cross‑autoimmune damage to the heart muscle. The group of complications of myasthenia includes myasthenic, cholinergic and mixed crises. Unrelated diseases are competitive, so in the elderly, myasthenia gravis is accompanied by a wide range of chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and others. The last group that should be targeted is intercurrent diseases — acute pathologies that develop against the background of myasthenia. Infectious diseases involving the most vulnerable respiratory system are potentially dangerous in the latter group. Knowledge of these potential factors of decompensation of myasthenia gravis will predict the development and timely diagnose the pathology. Timely treatment in a life‑threatening condition can be critical, since myasthenia gravis differs significantly from other diseases of the neuromuscular system in the rate of critical decompensation and the difficulty of normalizing the patient’s severe condition.