Abstract
Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease that leads to fatigue and weakness after voluntary activities. If early diagnosed, MG can be treated, and a person’s performance and quality of life can be greatly improved as well.
Materials and Methods: The study population of the present cross-sectional study included 80 patients with MG referring to Sina (Farshchian) hospital in Hamadan, Iran. The inclusion criterion included complete medical files. Finally, the variables were investigated using the chi-square test and two-sample t test by SPSS, version 16.
Results: The mean (standard deviation) of the patients’ age was 45.6 ± 15.8 years and most patients (55.5%) were females and 72.5% of them were married. In addition, weakness, lethargy, and premature fatigue were the most common symptoms (47.5%) in patients while unsteady gait was the lowest prevalent symptom (11.3%). There was no significant relationship between gender and the incidence of symptoms in patients (P>0.05). However, a significant relationship was found between patients’ age with the shortness of breath and unsteady gait (P<0.05). Eventually, most women, especially married and elderly ones, contracted the disease.
Conclusion: In general, there is a proper treatment for MG considering its early diagnosis. Accordingly, it is recommended that the level of awareness should be increased about the disease and provide appropriate medical and therapeutic facilities in this regard.