Myasthenia Gravis Essay

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep. Narcolepsy is not

Narcolepsy is a permanent sleep disorder that gets worse with age. It is estimated that about 40,000 to 135,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. (Narcolepsy, 2002). Most people who have narcolepsy are often times misdiagnosed because the symptoms, especially if noticed at the beginning stages, are very similar to other sleep disorders. Some of the symptoms that go along with narcolepsy are excessive sleepiness, especially during the daytime or when sleep is inappropriate, cataplexy which is when a person suddenly looses control of their muscles, sleep paralysis which is when the person is unable to move for a short period of time after they wake up from sleep, and hypnagogic hallucinations which is very

According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, the common symptoms of narcolepsy are periods of extreme drowsiness during the day (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). People with narcolepsy feel a strong desire to sleep, usually followed by a short nap. The sleep attacks last about fifteen minutes but can be longer. Often times, these sleep attacks happen after eating, during driving, and other everyday tasks. After a short nap, a person usually wakes up feeling refreshed and energized. As stated by Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, “Another symptom is dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness” (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). This is when a person experiences seeing or hearing right before they fall asleep. Sleep paralysis and cataplexy are also common symptoms of narcolepsy (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Sleep paralysis is not being able to move as you are falling asleep or upon waking up. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it usually goes unnoticed because it occurs during REM sleep (NINDS). REM sleep is rapid eye movement sleep. It occurs in breaks when rapid eye movements occur along with bodily movement. Similarly, cataplexy is a sudden loss of mobility. This is also associated with strong emotion like laughter or anger, which can trigger cataplexy

Myasthenia gravis [MG] is a rare, autoimmune neuromuscular disorder. The incidence rates has been reported as 2-7/10000 in central and western Virginia ( Thanvi ,2004).The onset of [MG] is depends on age and gender .In patients younger than 40 years, women are more susceptible than man to [MG],with a ratio of 7:3 :Above the age 50 [MG] are slightly more common in men with a ratio 3:2.Myasthenia gravis are very rare in children.Juvinile [MG] is an autoimmune disorder ,while congenital [MG] results from genetic mutations that impair neuromuscular transmission. It has been suggested that incidence of [MG] falls after 70 years of age. A recent study using AChR antibody as a diagnostic

Sleep paralysis is a common condition with a prevalence of 5-62%, although most affected people have single or infrequent episodes (Dahlitz). Occasionally sleep paralysis is found to run in a family, and it can be associated with other disorders of hypersomnia, such as sleep apnea (Becker 81). Narcolepsy has also been linked with sleep paralysis; both are thought to be REM sleep disorders (Siegel). Gender and race do not seem to be a factor of risk for this disorder. The episodes of sleep paralysis seem to range from ages 5-35 (Dahlitz). The use of anxiolytic medicines, psychiatric disorders and high anxiety can also contribute to sleep paralysis (Larkin).

Narcolepsy is a uncommon sleep disorder characterized for excessive daytime sleepiness and significant daily dysfunction. Daily periods of irresistible need to fall asleep during times when individual is supposed to be awake, as driving or at work, that may result in an accident. Patients with narcolepsy must of the times suffer from insomnia caused by sleep fragmentation this is why is imperative for narcolepsy to be diagnosed and treated.

Males and females are affected equally and there seems to be no familial link (Chemelli, et al 1999). The characterizing symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, abnormal transitions from consciousness into rapid eye movement (REM), sleep fragmentation, sleep paralysis, and hypnogogic hallucinations (Lin et al 1999).

After their trials, the authors concluded in their article “Attention Deficits in Patients with Narcolepsy,” that due to the loss of REM sleep that narcolepsy causes, individual often times tolerate periods of times of lessoned attention, alertness and memory, and this can create various problems in their regular routine, specifically as in their education, work, or personal relationships (Rieger et.al., 2003). Other physical symptoms that characterize narcolepsy are cataplexy and sleep paralysis. These physical symptoms are depicted in the article “What are the Symptoms?” Cataplexy is a brief attack of muscle weakness where an individual is unable to freely control one’s own muscles (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). The most severe case of cataplexy results in complete loss of control of a voluntary muscle, in which that person is unable to move, speak, or even open one’s eyes (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). Sleep paralysis also affects one’s ability to move and speak when falling asleep, and like cataplexy, sleep paralysis occurs when the person is completely conscious of what is happening (“What are the Symptoms?” 2010). These two physical symptoms that might come along with the

Narcolepsy is a chronic, neurological brain disorder that is characterized by poor control of sleep-wake cycles, cataplexy, and abnormal rapid eye movement sleep (REM). People with narcolepsy experience periods of extreme daytime sleepiness and irresistible, sudden sleep that can strike at any time. According to National Institute Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, 2010), “These “sleep attacks” usually last a few seconds to several minutes.” Narcolepsy can greatly affect daily activities because people may unwillingly fall asleep while at work or at school, while having a conversation, eating, or operating various types of machinery.

The most interesting medical condition that i've learnt is a disease called myasthenia gravis, which i happen to be suffering from.

Narcolepsy is a chronic brain disorder that causes a person to fall asleep at any time of the day. It also affects a person’s sleep habits at night. They tend to wake more often during nighttime sleep. A normal person sleeps for about 8 hours and enters non-rapid eye movement sleep, and then transitions into rapid eye movement sleep. A narcoleptic person enters rapid eye movement sleep within a few minutes of falling asleep. Narcolepsy can occur during daily activities such as when a person is driving, talking, playing a game, eating, or at work or school. Narcolepsy is caused by low levels of the neurotransmitter hypocretin. A person is diagnosed with narcolepsy with a clinical examination and exhaustive medical history. There is not a cure

Automatic behavior refers to the phenomenon when patients behave without conscious awareness during microsleep episodes. For example, a patient could be conversing with someone and slip in a microsleep episode. The patient would trail off in the middle of their sentence and start a completely new topic, unrelated to what they were initially talking about. Cataplexy is arguably the most important symptom of Narcolepsy as it indicates the cause of Narcolepsy. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone and is often mistaken for a seizure. A trigger for an episode of cataplexy is any strong enough emotion such as laughter, fear, sadness, or happiness. An interesting fact to note is that a certain group of neurons in the brainstem which halt muscle activity during REM sleep become inactive during cataplectic attacks. Sleep paralysis is something that everybody experiences on a daily basis while asleep but narcoleptics experience sleep paralysis before falling asleep and after waking up. Some narcoleptics also experience hallucinations that may accompany sleep paralysis. These hallucinations are usually vivid,

1. Narcolepsy is a rare, and chronic sleep disorder where the affected have severe or overwhelming daytime sleepiness. Fewer than 200,000 cases a year.

Males and females are equally affected by narcolepsy. Although the disorder has been diagnosed in a five-year-old, its symptoms most frequently appear for the first time during adolescence. In an estimated seventy-five percent of cases, the attacks begin between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five; only five percent of cases begin before the age of ten. Onset is rare after the age of forty; if narcolepsy seems to appear in an older person, it has probably existed undiagnosed for years. Sleep researchers believe that the extra need for sleep characteristic of adolescence may make this stage of development particularly vulnerable for the onset of narcolepsy. Thus, this disorder may typically begin in adolescence because it is somehow triggered

Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic disease, where the muscles weaken. It is caused by a breakdown in the normal communication between the nerves and muscles. This can be present in anyone at any age, but more common in women younger than 40, men older than 60.