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Couple of new ones
Myasthenia Gravis
Mr. A came down w/ this about a year ago. MG is an autoimmune disorder (usually) that attacks acetylcholinesterase - an enzyme residing in the synaptic gap that regulates neurotransmitter levels. This leads to muscle weakness. In its worst form (MG Crisis) it can cause difficulty breathing requiring temporary ventilator support. It varies in severity and has several subsets. Mr. A has Ocular MG, which only affects the muscles around his eyes and eyelids. Remission is possible - some patients require a thymectomy to reduce the autoimmune reaction. Mestinon (same type of treatment as the antidote for nerve gas) can control the symptoms.
Mr. A has been fortunate that his symptoms haven't generalized on him. But we found out that he doesn't have any signs of an autoimmune reaction - no antibody, which is part of the diagnosis. We think his MG was induced by Lipitor. (Read the fine print on any statin drug prescription - about 1-2% of patients taking them come down w/ MG or similar symptoms. This is why the "muscle pain or weakness" disclaimer is in the commercials on TV.)
Coincidentally, MG is considered a Muscular Dystrophy-type disease covered by work done by the MDA - which is KA's national philanthropy.
Hypothyroidism
Usually also an autoimmune reaction. Causes the thyroid gland to shut down and stop producing thyroid hormone. I came down w/ this out of the blue a couple of years back. Thyroid hormone levels have to be monitored every 8-12 weeks and I take a synthetic hormone replacement for it. NBD, in the grand scheme of things.
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