Published on: 6/20/2025
What tests are used to confirm a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis?
To confirm myasthenia gravis, doctors use blood tests for antibodies, nerve tests, and sometimes imaging like a CT scan.
Explanation
Myasthenia gravis is a condition that affects how your muscles work. To find out if someone has it, doctors do several tests:
Blood Tests: These look for antibodies in your blood that can cause myasthenia gravis. The most common ones are called acetylcholine receptor antibodies and anti-MuSK antibodies.
Nerve Tests: One important test is called electromyography (EMG). It checks how well your nerves and muscles talk to each other. Another test is called repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS), which helps see if your muscles get tired quickly.
Imaging Tests: Sometimes, doctors use a CT scan or MRI to check your chest. They look for a problem with a gland called the thymus, which can be involved in myasthenia gravis.
These tests help doctors understand if myasthenia gravis is causing muscle weakness and how to best treat it. Each test gives different information that helps doctors make a diagnosis.
(References)
- Rousseff RT. (2021). Diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis. Journal of clinical medicine, 33923771.
- Pasnoor M, Dimachkie MM, Farmakidis C, & Barohn RJ. (2018). Diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis. Neurologic clinics, 29655449.
- Benatar M. (2006). A systematic review of diagnostic studies in myasthenia .... Neuromuscular disorders : NMD, 16793269.
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