Myasthenia gravıs with acute respiratory failure in the the emergency department

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAcute respiratory failure (ARF) is defined as a sudden malfunction in the ability of respiratory system to maintain adequate gas exchange. Acute hypercapnic respiratory failure develops as a result of ventilation deficiency and it is defined as an increase of PaCO 2 above 45 mmHg. Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a sporadically developing auto-immune deficiency where the neuro-muscular transmission is affected and it is one of the important reasons for neurologically-induced respiratory distress. Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old male patient previously undiagnosed MG, who presented with ARF. MG is not a common entity that we encounter daily. Patients on occasions may present to the emergency department because of acute exacerbation. Though most of them were known cases, we should be aware of some unrecognized cases and should consider MG as a differential diagnosis for patients with acute respiratory failure.

A Case Report of Korean Medical Intervention in a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis after Myasthenia Crisis

“…MG의 중증도와 비전형적인 증상들은 환자의 인지 정도에 따라 다르지만, 60세 이상 환자의 30% 에서 연수 또는 호흡근 약화가 발생하며, 15~20% 의 환자는 호흡근 약화로 인한 호흡부전, 즉, 근무 력증 위기(Myasthenic Crisis, MC)를 겪게 된다 4 5 . MG는 한의학적으로 痿證에 해당하며, 痿證의 肢體筋脈弛緩, 軟弱無力, 手不能握物，足不能任身, 久則肌肉萎縮, 不能隨意運動의 증상에 부합한다 6 .…”