The most famous picture of the world may be of a woman suffering from a rare genetic condition called myasthenia gravis. This is indicated by the smile of Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci. How exactly is myasthenia gravis manifested and who gets it?
- In Poland, about 9 suffer from myasthenia gravis. people, mainly women in their 30s
- The disease impairs the functioning of the muscles, which is why it hinders the simplest activities such as combing or fastening buttons
- It is difficult to make a diagnosis because awareness of this rare condition is not high. Patients are often referred to various specialists
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A symptom of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease in which weakening of the facial muscles, it is called transverse smile without lifting the corners of the mouth. However, this is not the only symptom of the disease. Patients also struggle with drooping eyelids, problems with swallowing, breathing, talking and walking. They also suffer from visual disturbances.
What is myasthenia gravis?
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder of the nervous system. It is not a genetically inherited disease. It is characterized by excessive weariness of skeletal muscles. It affects women more than men, but it can occur at any age, even in children.
Myasthenia gravis arises by directing the antibodies produced by our immune system towards our own tissues, i.e. against the receptors of muscle fibers. This results in impaired muscle function. Antibodies are produced by the thymus, an organ that should disappear shortly after puberty, and although the relationship of the thymus to the disease is not fully known, over 65% patients with myasthenia gravis have thymic hyperplasia.
The first symptoms of myasthenia gravis usually concern weakness of the levator eyelid and oculomotor muscles. Over time, the disease can weaken more muscles. Symptoms of myasthenia gravis can also be induced or worsened during pregnancy, menstruation, bacterial and viral infections, stress or anesthesia.
The diagnosis of myasthenia gravis is based on a physical examination and additional tests. It is possible to initially and independently assess the condition of the muscles in case of suspicion of the disease. The so-called The apocamnosis test consists in repeating the same activities several times and observing whether muscle weakness increases with effort. When a patient experiences muscle fatigue with the constant blinking of the eyelid, which over time begins to disobey and droop, consult a physician.
The patient’s treatment should be individually tailored to his health condition. Myasthenia gravis can develop dynamically or remain on the same stage for many years.
How is life with myasthenia gravis?
The portrait of Gioconda by Leonardo da Vinci, the famous “Mona Lisa”, according to historians, depicts the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco Gioconda. It is not known if the portrayed woman suffered from this rare genetic condition, but her smile might indicate it. It cannot be established because the first medical records and descriptions of myasthenia gravis appeared in the 100th century, more than XNUMX years after the painting was created. Gioconda’s smile, however, became a symbolic image of their ailments for myasthenics.
Renata Machaczek, founder and representative of the Gravis Gioconda Society of Myasthenia Gravis, describes the feelings of patients as follows: “We are rarely considered sick, we rarely feel refreshed, we rarely walk the distance that we set for ourselves, rarely we function really normally. Myasthenia gravis takes away our strength. We often have to use the help of other people. The slightest effort weakens our muscles ». As Renata Machaczek adds, many people find it difficult to imagine that you may have a problem with buttoning, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, getting dressed, and for patients with myasthenia gravis, these daily activities are quite a challenge. “We often look as if we were drinking alcohol, and these are just symptoms of our disease” – he emphasizes.