A review on autoimmune diseases Myasthenia Gravis: Causes, pathogenesis, symptoms and treatment

Abstract

Native and foreign microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites, are actively protected by the immune system. This defense can however be improperly misdirected against tissues and cells in some people, giving rise to autoimmunity and eventually autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disorders are a wide variety of illnesses which can affect any part of the body, either localized (such as thyroiditis) or systemic to specific organs or tissues and affect several organs or tissues (such as systemic lupus erythematosus). As an example of autoimmune diseases that affect the voluntary muscles, myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular junction disease (NMJ) triggered by antibodies that target postsynaptic membrane components, impede neuromuscular transmission and contribute to skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue. Here is a review of the past and clinical aspects of MG to explain the mechanisms of AChR, MuSK and Lrp4 antibodies, the history and clinical aspects of MG are explored with an emphasis on the structure and role of myasthenic autoantigens at the NMJ and how they are influenced by the pathogenic mechanisms of the autoantibodies.