Myasthenia Gravis Support Group

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Although myasthenia gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, and...

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MG ND THYROID

alfredsr2
alfredsr2

Hello. Can anyone explain the connection between the thyroid and MG.  Thanks, Al

Rhanson
Rhanson
If you have one autoimmune disease your are more likely to have others including autoimmune thyroid problems. I have both. I don't think there is a connection between MG and the thyroid other than we can have both of them being attacked by our immune system. Many of us have more than one autoimmune problem (I have 3).

Sometimes folks mix up the thymus gland and the thyroid. An abnormal thymus can be the cause of MG. Even removing a normal one can improve MG. Rresearchers believe that the thymus gland, a part of your immune system situated in the upper chest beneath your breastbone, may trigger or maintain the production of the antibodies that block acetylcholine (MG).

Good Luck
Russ
alfredsr2
alfredsr2
Hello and thanks for the reply. My doctor ordered this THYROID PEROXIDASE AB test. The results were 482. abnormally high. Any feedback.
Rhanson
Rhanson
Yes, that test shows your thyroid problem is autoimmune caused -- just like mine.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/thyroid-disease/expert-answers/faq-20058114

Some research shows that MG and autoimmune thyroid problems are found together. Possibly your doctor is trying to make sure that all of the autoimmune disease possibilities are checked as we do get more than one too much of the time.
A research paper talks about the genetic predisposition to autoimmune problems.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508005/

I take levothyroxine for thyroid

Good Luck
Russ
PeterL
PeterL
Whilst I too am unsure of any direct linkage, I did have a Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) a couple of years before MG came on the scene. The Goiter was surgically removed = roughly half the thyroid.
Nanosecond
Nanosecond
I also have generalized MG and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My TPO antibodies are usually > 1,000, and I have elevated anti-thyroid antibodies as well. Being hyper- or hypothyroid (Hashimoto's can cause either though usually hypo) can make MG symptoms worse, so it is a good thing to keep an eye on. My endocrinologist tests my free T4, free T3, and TSH levels about twice a year. Synthroid eventually stopped working for me, so now I take Armour, and all is well.
- Nan
cgreens
cgreens
As Russ showed a study done that states clearly "the mode of action of the antibodies is different: if the antibodies in ATDs deregulate the level of the hormones, in the case of MG they reduce the expression of receptors at the motor plate leading to a functional defect of the synapse."

No correlation between MG and thyroid issues. Purely coincidental.