How to diagnose myasthenia gravis

  Although myasthenia gravis is a rare disorder, weakness and easy fatigue are very common and can be verified in different ways once myasthenia gravis is suspected: 1. Fatigue testing by repetitive movement of the eyes, neck, arms or thighs.  2, can be tested by stimulating the nerves with harmless electric needles while recording the muscle response to electrical stimulation – electromyography (EMG).  3, neostigmine test: neostigmine 0.5-1.0mg intramuscular injection for 30-60min, compared with the muscle strength and eye fissure of the skeletal muscle involved before injection, if the muscle weakness improves significantly after the injection, it is a positive neostigmine test.  4. The most specific diagnostic test is a serological test for antibodies to typical acetylcholine receptors. This antibody is present in about 85% of patients with myasthenia gravis, while it is barely detectable in patients with other muscle diseases.