As mentioned before, the cause of myasthenia is autoimmunity.

 

In healthy individuals, the physiological functioning of the neuromuscular junction ensures the contraction of the muscle and therefore the person is able to make the full range of body movements. 

 

In contrast, in myasthenia the neuromuscular junction does not work as it should be and therefore it is not possible to have a smooth muscle contraction.

 

The diagnosis of myasthenia is based on the medical history and findings of the neurological examination. A full hematological and biochemical testing, as well as a test to detect specific antibodies against  specific substances are required. It is also important to perform a CT scan of the thymus gland in order to detect any lesions that may be responsible for the disease.

The treatment of myasthenia is personalized according to the severity of the disease and includes either oral medication or the hospitalization of the patient in order to provide them with specific pharmaceutics. Thymectomy is required when there is a thymoma (tumor in thymus).