What autoimmune disease attacks muscles?

Myositis (my-o-SY-tis) is a rare type of autoimmune disease that inflames and weakens muscle fibers. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's own immune system attacks itself. In the case of myositis, the immune system attacks healthy muscle tissue, which results in inflammation, swelling, pain, and eventual weakness.

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What are the first signs of myositis?

The main symptoms are weak, painful or aching muscles. This usually gets worse, slowly over time. You may also trip or fall a lot, and be very tired after walking or standing. If you have any of these symptoms you should see a GP.

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What is an autoimmune disorder that leads to extreme muscle weakness?

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies destroy the communication between nerves and muscle, resulting in weakness of the skeletal muscles. Myasthenia gravis affects the voluntary muscles of the body, especially those that control the eyes, mouth, throat and limbs.

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What are the most common early symptoms of myasthenia gravis?

Common symptoms of myasthenia gravis include:
  • droopy eyelids.
  • double vision.
  • difficulty making facial expressions.
  • problems chewing and difficulty swallowing.
  • slurred speech.
  • weak arms, legs or neck.
  • shortness of breath and occasionally serious breathing difficulties.

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Is autoimmune myositis serious?

Depending on how long the myositis symptoms have occurred and which muscles are affected, heart muscle or lung tissue can also become inflamed, leading to poor health consequences like heart arrhythmias and interstitial lung disease.

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Common Autoimmune Diseases: Causes and Symptoms

24 related questions found

Is autoimmune myositis curable?

There's no cure for myositis, but in most cases, treatment can put it into remission. Most people with myositis have it for the rest of their lives. People with myositis have an increased risk of developing rhabdomyolysis.

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What are 3 symptoms of myasthenia gravis?

The following symptoms are commonly associated with myasthenia gravis:
  • Weakness of the eye muscles (ocular myasthenia)
  • Drooping of one or both eyelids (ptosis)
  • Blurred or double vision (diplopia)
  • Changes in facial expressions.
  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Impaired speech (dysarthria)

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How can you tell the difference between MS and myasthenia gravis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are both serious lifelong diseases. MS stems from faulty communication between your brain and the nerves that control your body. MG causes serious muscle weakness that can cause eyelids to drop and extend down to the rest of your face, arms, and legs.

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What diseases are mistaken for myasthenia gravis?

Beware: there are other diseases that mimic myasthenia gravis. A number of disorders may mimic MG, including generalized fatigue, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, botulism, penicillamine-induced myasthenia, and congenital myasthenic syndromes.

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What are the 3 main diseases that affect the muscles?

Myasthenia gravis. Myopathy. Myositis, including polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

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What is a virus that attacks your muscles?

Viruses or bacteria may invade muscle tissue directly, or release substances that damage muscle fibers. Common cold and flu viruses, as well as HIV, are just a few of the viruses that can cause myositis.

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What is the most rare autoimmune disease?

Asherson's syndrome is an extremely rare autoimmune disorder characterized by the development, over a period of hours, days or weeks, of rapidly progressive blood clots affecting multiple organ systems of the body.

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What blood test shows muscle inflammation?

Sedimentation Rate (also called erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] or sed rate) measures swelling and inflammation of the muscles. Doctors use the sed rate to watch the progress of the muscle inflammation.

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What can be mistaken for myositis?

Among metabolic myopathies that can mimic myositis are disorders of carbohydrate metabolism such as McArdle's disease, 6-phosphofructokinase deficiency, and Pompe's disease (adult acid maltase deficiency); disorders of lipid metabolism such as carnitine deficiency and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2) deficiency; ...

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What does lupus muscle pain feel like?

Many people described the pain of lupus as similar to having the flu. This means having chills and bone-weary aches throughout your entire body. The pain can be numbing and leave you feeling drained of all energy. “I explain it to others as feeling like the flu: achy joints, muscles, bones.”

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What does a person with myasthenia gravis look like?

In more than half of people who develop myasthenia gravis, their first signs and symptoms involve eye problems, such as: Drooping of one or both eyelids (ptosis) Double vision (diplopia), which may be horizontal or vertical, and improves or resolves when one eye is closed.

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What is the difference between fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis?

Key Differences Between MS and Fibromyalgia

MS is an autoimmune disease caused by a problem within the immune system that causes damage to the layer covering the nerves. Fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by abnormal levels of chemicals in the brain.

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What's the difference between Guillain Barre and multiple sclerosis?

While MS destroys the myelin of the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves), Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) destroys the myelin of the peripheral nerves—those that go out from the brainstem and spinal cord to all other parts of the body.

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What is the snowflake disease?

Often referred to as "the snowflake disease," myasthenia gravis, or MG, affects each person differently and likewise, treatment must be individualized. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness of the voluntary muscles. The more these muscles are used, the more they weaken.

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What are the 5 stages of myasthenia gravis?

Myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular disease characterized by weakness and fatigue, is typically divided into five types: generalized, congenital, ocular, juvenile, and transient neonatal myasthenia gravis, depending on time of disease onset, the cause of the neuromuscular dysfunction, and the muscle groups affected ...

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What is the bedside test for myasthenia gravis?

A rest test (also called sleep test) is based on the characteristic finding in MG that symptoms and signs improve after a period of rest. The utility of this test has been evaluated in ocular MG presenting with ptosis. The median improvement of ptosis with the rest test is about 2 mm and with the ice test 4.5 mm [5].

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Why is my body attacking itself?

When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it. This is called an immune response. Sometimes, healthy cells and tissues are caught up in this response, resulting in autoimmune disease.

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Why do my muscles ache all the time?

The most common causes of muscle aches and pains are: Injury or trauma, including sprains and strains. Overuse including using a muscle too much, too soon before warming up, or too often. Tension or stress.

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What autoimmune disease causes back and hip pain?

Early symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis might include back pain and stiffness in the lower back and hips, especially in the morning and after periods of inactivity.

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