Myasthenia gravis, commonly referred to as just gravis, is a disease that causes weakness in skeletal muscles that affect all areas of the body, including breathing and any part of the body that moves. The name comes from the Latin word "gravis," which when translated means "grave." However, with the right treatment, the outcome if you have myasthenia gravis is good. Many treatments are available now to help improve your quality of life and live a normal life in-between flares. In fact, many celebrities, including Sir Lawrence Olivier, Suzanne Crumpler, and Phil Silvers, have been diagnosed with gravis.

There are many causes of muscle weakness, so sudden weakness should not lead you to think you have gravis. In fact, gravis is considered a rare disease, but it does have some hallmark signs that can help you determine whether you have it or not. One of its trademark symptoms is muscle weakness that becomes worse after activity and starts to get better following rest. In addition, while they are not always affected, if you have gravis you'll have weakness and problems with controlling your eye and eyelid movement.

Another common symptom that is notable is the loss of facial expression control. Sometimes other facial muscles that impact chewing, swallowing, and talking are also affected. These tend to impair quality of life more, which is why they are often the first symptoms that lead doctors to look into gravis. You may notice that symptoms pop up quickly, while you also may notice the onset of symptoms slowly until they pile up and become unavoidable. Other common symptoms associated with gravis include blurred vision, double vision, impaired speech, drooping eyelids, and weakness in the legs, hands, arms, neck, and fingers.

Sometimes gravis can be diagnosed as a medical emergency. This is known as a myasthenic crisis and occurs when the muscles responsible for breathing are too weak to function properly. This can occur due to surgery, infection, a medication reaction, or stress. When this occurs, you're admitted to a hospital, and you sometimes need a ventilator until the crisis passes.

Gravis is considered to be an autoimmune disease, and it happens when nerve impulses are incorrectly transmitted. As a result, your muscles fail to contract, or your receptors are unable to receive messages. Gravis can occur at any age and does not discriminate by race or gender. However, for some reason, it tends to affect young adult women under 40 and men over 60 more frequently.