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    Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook134 pages1 hour

    Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease
    This condition occurs more in women than men at any age
    Myasthenia gravis literally means grave muscle weakness.
    Antibodies blocks the neurotransmitter junction, causing a neuromuscular illness

    The thymus gland may give incorrect instructions to developing immunity
    This results in the production of the acetylcholine receptor antibodies.
    Which unfortunately block the receptors at the neuromuscular junction
    This result in the receptors unable to generate a muscle contraction

    The muscle weakness usually increases during periods of activity
    There is weakness of the eye, neck, limbs and fatigue
    There is slurred speech and difficulty in swallowing
    There may a waddling gait and difficulty in breathing

    Treatment for myasthenia gravis is with anticholinesterase agents such as neostigmine
    Immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine
    Thymectomy reduces symptoms in more than 70 percent of patients surgically
    Plasmapheresis in which intravenous immune globulin replaces the abnormal antibodies

    -An original poem by Kenneth Kee

    Interesting Tips about the Myasthenia Gravis

    A Healthy Lifestyle

    1. Take a well Balanced Diet

    2. Treatment for myasthenia gravis has improved tremendously with several therapies to help reduce and improve muscle weakness.

    a. Anticholinesterase agents such as neostigmine and pyridostigmine which help improve neuromuscular transmission and increase muscle strength.

    b. Immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine improve muscle strength by suppressing the production of abnormal antibodies.

    They must be used cautiously because of their many side effects.

    c. .Thymectomy, the surgical removal of the thymus gland (usually abnormal in myasthenia gravis), reduces symptoms in more than 70 percent of patients and may cure some individuals, possibly by re-balancing the immune system.

    d. Plasmapheresis in which abnormal antibodies are removed from the blood, and high-dose intravenous immune globulin which temporarily modifies the immune system and provides the body with normal antibodies from donated blood.

    3. Keep bones and body strong

    Bone marrow produces our blood

    Eat foods rich in calcium like yogurt, cheese, milk, and dark green vegetables.

    Eat foods rich in Vitamin D, like eggs, fatty fish, cereal, and fortified milk.

    Eat food rich in Vitamins B and C such as green vegetables and fruits

    Zinc and other minerals are important to the body

    4. Get enough rest and Sleep

    Avoid stress and tension

    5. Exercise and stay active.

    It is best to do weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights for 21⁄2 hours a week.

    One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

    Begin slowly especially if a person has not been active.

    6. Do not drink more than 2 alcohol drinks a day for a man or 1 alcohol drink a day for a woman.

    Alcohol use also increases the chance of falling and breaking a bone.

    Alcohol can affect the neurons and brain cells.

    7. Stop or do not begin smoking.

    It also interferes with blood supply and healing.

    Chapter 1

    Myasthenia Gravis

    What is Myasthenia gravis?

    Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakening of the skeletal muscles of the body.

    The name myasthenia gravis literally means grave muscle weakness.

    How does Myasthenia Gravis develop?

    Myasthenia gravis interferes in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles.

    Normally the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter substance called acetylcholine which then travels to the neuromuscular junction.

    The acetylcholine binds to acetylcholine receptors which are

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateJun 21, 2015
    ISBN9781311678225
    Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Myasthenia Gravis, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Myasthenia Gravis,

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2015 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes the disease Myasthenia Gravis and Its Treatments and Related Diseases or in vernacular terms

      (What You Need to treat Myasthenia Gravis)

      This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      Ode to Myasthenia Gravis

      Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease

      This condition occurs more in women than men at any age

      Myasthenia gravis literally means grave muscle weakness.

      Antibodies blocks the neurotransmitter junction, causing a neuromuscular illness

      The thymus gland may give incorrect instructions to developing immunity

      This results in the production of the acetylcholine receptor antibodies.

      Which unfortunately block the receptors at the neuromuscular junction

      This result in the receptors unable to generate a muscle contraction

      The muscle weakness usually increases during periods of activity

      There is weakness of the eye, neck, limbs and fatigue

      There is slurred speech and difficulty in swallowing

      There may a waddling gait and difficulty in breathing

      Treatment for myasthenia gravis is with anticholinesterase agents such as neostigmine

      Immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine

      Thymectomy reduces symptoms in more than 70 percent of patients surgically

      Plasmapheresis in which intravenous immune globulin replaces the abnormal antibodies

      -An original poem by Kenneth Kee

      Interesting Tips about the Myasthenia Gravis

      A Healthy Lifestyle

      1. Take a well Balanced Diet

      2. Treatment for myasthenia gravis has improved tremendously with several therapies to help reduce and improve muscle weakness.

      a. Anticholinesterase agents such as neostigmine and pyridostigmine which help improve neuromuscular transmission and increase muscle strength.

      b. Immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine improve muscle strength by suppressing the production of abnormal antibodies.

      They must be used cautiously because of their many side effects.

      c. .Thymectomy, the surgical removal of the thymus gland (usually abnormal in myasthenia gravis), reduces symptoms in more than 70 percent of patients and may cure some individuals, possibly by re-balancing the immune system.

      d. Plasmapheresis in which abnormal antibodies are removed from the blood, and high-dose intravenous immune globulin which temporarily modifies the immune system and provides the body with normal antibodies from donated blood.

      3. Keep bones and body strong

      Bone marrow produces our blood

      Eat foods rich in calcium like yogurt, cheese, milk, and dark green vegetables.

      Eat foods rich in Vitamin D, like eggs, fatty fish, cereal, and fortified milk.

      Eat food rich in Vitamins B and C such as green vegetables and fruits

      Zinc and other minerals are important to the body

      4. Get enough rest and Sleep

      Avoid stress and tension

      5. Exercise and stay active.

      It is best to do weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights for 2½ hours a week.

      One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

      Begin slowly especially if a person has not been active.

      6. Do not drink more than 2 alcohol drinks a day for a man or 1 alcohol drink a day for a woman.

      Alcohol use also increases the chance of falling and breaking a bone.

      Alcohol can affect the neurons and brain cells.

      7. Stop or do not begin smoking.

      It also interferes with blood supply and healing.

      Cigarettes contain more than forty types of hazardous and possibly cancer causing chemicals which can harm the smokers and those around them.

      Chapter 1

      Myasthenia Gravis

      What is Myasthenia gravis?

      Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakening of the skeletal muscles of the body.

      The name myasthenia gravis literally means grave muscle weakness.

      How does Myasthenia Gravis develop?

      Myasthenia gravis interferes in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles.

      Normally the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter substance called acetylcholine which then travels to the neuromuscular junction.

      The acetylcholine binds to acetylcholine receptors which are activated and generate a muscle contraction.

      In myasthenia gravis, antibodies produced by the body's immune system block, alter, or destroy the receptors for acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction and prevent muscle contraction.

      In myasthenia gravis, the thymus gland which is responsible for the production of the immune cells is abnormal.

      The thymus gland may give incorrect instructions to developing immune cells ultimately resulting in the production of the acetylcholine receptor antibodies.

      Myasthenia gravis occurs at any age usually at age 30-40 in women and 50-60 in men.

      It occurs more in women than in men.

      In rare cases the fetus may acquire antibodies from a mother affected with myasthenia gravis.

      Cases of neonatal myasthenia gravis are temporary and the child's symptoms usually disappear within 2-3 months after birth.

      Myasthenia gravis is not directly inherited.

      Rarely the disease may occur in more than one member of the same family.

      The typical feature of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest.

      What are the symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis?

      The onset of the disorder may be sudden.

      The weakness may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing, muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements:

      1. Weakness of the eye muscles, a drooping of one

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