Yvonne has weakened muscles resulting in extremely slow movements. She is experiencing gradual paralysis of her body. A computed
tomography scan revealed that she has a tumor in the thymus gland. Which disorder is she likely to be suffering from? A.
myasthenia gravis
B.
HIV/AIDS
C.
multiple sclerosis
D.
fungemia
E.
mononucleosis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease affecting mainly young women and the elderly and whose incidence tends to increase. It affects neuromuscular junctions. A fluctuating oculo-facio-bulbar paresis of variable severity is frequent. Remissions and exacerbations are typical. The disease is caused by autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptors or, more rarely, to a specific muscle kinase.
Complementary examinations aim to confirm the diagnosis and to look for associated pathologies (1/10 to a thymoma or an associated autoimmune disease).
