Neurológia pre prax 3/2016

Cardiac function in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome and microalbuminuria

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease affecting the postsynaptic part of neuromuscular junction. The disease can manifest in early or late age, weakening of muscles is generalized, or only affects the extraocular muscles. Pathological changes in the thymus consist card follicular hyperplasia or atrophy. Paraneoplastic form is associated with thymoma. The 80% can be demonstrated antibodies against acetylcholine receptor or muscle specific tyrosine kinase. Although in its course highly variable disease, we can, according to its course, particularly in the initial stages and to predict the prognosis of the disease in a particular patient is trying to establish an individualized treatment, which would lead to the achievement of clinical remission and the best possible quality of life. Bad prognostic factors include the detection of antibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase, higher age manifestations, associated comorbidities, association with thymoma, fulminant development myasthenic crisis during the first year of the disease and delayed assesment of diagnosis.

Keywords: myasthenia gravis, clinical aspects, prognosis, treatment strategies, individualized therapy