Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Myasthenia gravis: lessons from the past 10 years.
- Journal:
- The Journal of small animal practice
- Year:
- 1998
- Authors:
- Shelton, G D
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In the last decade, we've learned a lot about acquired myasthenia gravis (MG), a condition that affects the muscles of pets, especially dogs. This disease can show up in various ways, and we now have a reliable test to diagnose it. Unfortunately, despite these improvements, many dogs with acquired MG still face a high risk of dying from the condition. While researchers are beginning to understand why some dogs are more likely to develop this autoimmune disease, we still don't know what causes it to start or how to effectively control the immune response that attacks the body's own muscle receptors.
Abstract
Over the past 10 years, significant advances have been made in our understanding of acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) in companion animals. The broad spectrum of presenting clinical signs has been defined and an accurate and sensitive diagnostic test is available. Even with these advances, the mortality rate in dogs with acquired MG remains unacceptably high. While an understanding of the genetic basis for susceptibility to autoimmune disease has started to be developed, the trigger for the initiation of this disease is not known and a mechanism for specific suppression of the aberrant immune response against the acetylcholine receptor remains a mystery.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9741871/