WKTV Staff
While Myasthenia Gravis – or MG as it is commonly referred to – is a rare disease, affecting about 20 in 100,000 people, the medical community has been aware of it since the 1800s.
MG is the breakdown in the normal communication between nerves and muscles. It is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms, drooping eyelids, double vision, slur speech, trouble chewing or swallowing, and weakness in arms or legs, will usually improve with rest.
However, medical advancements have improved over the years, according to Dr. Amit Sachdev from Michigan State University’s Department of Neurology. Sachdev has specialized in MG. Since the 1950s and 1960s, the medical community has learned to treat MG better, working to improve detection, Sachdev said.
To increase awareness and to educate the public, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan, which is based in the West Michigan area, recently put together a series of educational videos about MG, which will be airing on WKTV Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 11:30 a.m and again Thursday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m.
According to Sue Southern, the executive director for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan, MG-MI is working to put a face to the disease by talking to those who are living with it in hopes of building a better understanding about the MG.
“While MG is an illness, unlike other neurological diseases, MG is a disease with hope,” Southern said. There is no cure for the disease, however; there are treatments. Part of the Foundation’s goal is to provide resources and information to people along with creating supportive connections between people who have been just diagnosed with those who have been living with MG.
For more information about MG and the Foundation, visit mg-mi.org.
