Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus
Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission, can lead to varying degrees of weakness and fatigability of the skeletal musculature. Juvenile myasthenia gravis accounts for 10–15% of all cases of myasthenia gravis. The clinical presentation of juvenile myasthenia gravis var...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Pediatrics |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6959701 |
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| author | Neha Pirwani Shayna Wrublik Shashikanth Ambati |
| author_facet | Neha Pirwani Shayna Wrublik Shashikanth Ambati |
| author_sort | Neha Pirwani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission, can lead to varying degrees of weakness and fatigability of the skeletal musculature. Juvenile myasthenia gravis accounts for 10–15% of all cases of myasthenia gravis. The clinical presentation of juvenile myasthenia gravis varies tremendously, which presents itself as a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. We report a case of a 15-year-old female with mild intermittent asthma presenting with shortness of breath. Acute onset of dyspnea is a common chief complaint amongst the pediatric population with a broad differential diagnosis. Our patient was presumptively treated for status asthmaticus and required invasive mechanical ventilation. After extubating, the patient showed persistent ptosis, which led to the eventual work-up of myasthenia gravis. Upon further review, this patient had months of intermittent symptoms including ptosis and fatigue which went previously undiagnosed. This case demonstrates that dyspnea in an asthmatic can occur from nonairway processes and, if missed, may result in overtreatment of asthma or delayed diagnosis of an important neuromuscular process. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a83e048dc7a471ab483dd96f370d506 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-6811 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a83e048dc7a471ab483dd96f370d5062025-02-03T01:04:12ZengWileyCase Reports in Pediatrics2090-68112021-01-01202110.1155/2021/6959701Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status AsthmaticusNeha Pirwani0Shayna Wrublik1Shashikanth Ambati2Affiliated with Albany Medical CenterAffiliated with Albany Medical CenterAffiliated with Albany Medical CenterMyasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission, can lead to varying degrees of weakness and fatigability of the skeletal musculature. Juvenile myasthenia gravis accounts for 10–15% of all cases of myasthenia gravis. The clinical presentation of juvenile myasthenia gravis varies tremendously, which presents itself as a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. We report a case of a 15-year-old female with mild intermittent asthma presenting with shortness of breath. Acute onset of dyspnea is a common chief complaint amongst the pediatric population with a broad differential diagnosis. Our patient was presumptively treated for status asthmaticus and required invasive mechanical ventilation. After extubating, the patient showed persistent ptosis, which led to the eventual work-up of myasthenia gravis. Upon further review, this patient had months of intermittent symptoms including ptosis and fatigue which went previously undiagnosed. This case demonstrates that dyspnea in an asthmatic can occur from nonairway processes and, if missed, may result in overtreatment of asthma or delayed diagnosis of an important neuromuscular process.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6959701 |
| spellingShingle | Neha Pirwani Shayna Wrublik Shashikanth Ambati Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus Case Reports in Pediatrics |
| title | Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus |
| title_full | Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus |
| title_fullStr | Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus |
| title_short | Myasthenia Gravis Masquerading as Status Asthmaticus |
| title_sort | myasthenia gravis masquerading as status asthmaticus |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6959701 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nehapirwani myastheniagravismasqueradingasstatusasthmaticus AT shaynawrublik myastheniagravismasqueradingasstatusasthmaticus AT shashikanthambati myastheniagravismasqueradingasstatusasthmaticus |