myasthenia gravis
Noun: A chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disorder characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The primary symptom is muscle weakness that worsens during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. This condition is caused by a breakdown in communication between nerves and muscles at the neuromuscular junction, often due to antibodies blocking or destroying acetylcholine receptors.
"Myasthenia gravis" is a medical term used as a proper noun to name a specific disease. It is typically used in clinical, scientific, and patient-care contexts. * The diagnosis of myasthenia gravis was confirmed through a blood test and nerve conduction study. * Treatment for myasthenia gravis often involves medications to improve nerve-to-muscle communication.
- Abbreviation: The condition is frequently abbreviated as MG in medical notes and discussions.
- The patient with MG is scheduled for a thymectomy.
- Collocations: It commonly appears with verbs like , , ; and adjectives like (affecting only eye muscles), .
- She manages her generalized myasthenia gravis with immunosuppressants.
- Myasthenic (adj): Pertaining to or suffering from myasthenia gravis.
- The patient experienced a myasthenic crisis.
- Myasthenia (n): A general term for muscular weakness. "Myasthenia gravis" is the most common and specific form.
- The symptom was described as myasthenia.
- Autoimmune myasthenia: A more descriptive synonym emphasizing the cause.
- MG: The standard abbreviation.
The term "myasthenia gravis" has only one specific meaning as a named disease. The word "myasthenia" alone (without "gravis") is a broader term for muscle weakness, but "myasthenia gravis" itself is not ambiguous in medical contexts. "Gravis" is Latin for "serious" or "severe."
- a chronic progressive disease characterized by chronic fatigue and muscular weakness (especially in the face and neck); caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions