In: Anatomy and Physiology
A patient is thought to be suffering from either muscular dystrophy or myasthenia gravis. How would you distinguish between the two conditions?
The distinction between muscular dystrophy and myasthenia gravis among patients can be made on the below of below analysis:
Muscular dystrophy is a muscular disease which weakens the muscles and it occurs due to gene mutations. The diagnosis of patients suffering from this disease can be made on the basis of below parameters:
1. Physical examination: General muscle weakness
2. Family medical history
3. Tests including blood enzyme analysis i.e. creatine kinase, muscle biopsies, genetic testing, electromyography
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that weakness of those muscles that are specific to face, limbs, eyes, neck. A patient suffering from MG can be diagnosed on the basis of below parameters:
1. Physical examination: The muscle weakness will be obvious from partial eye paralysis, neck & jaw weakness, difficulty to breath and swallow
2. Blood tests: the identification of muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibodies in the blood samples will be higher i.e. Sero positive
3. Electrodiagnostic testing: Electrodes are used for measurement of electrical muscle signals