A B S T R A C T

We have treated 53 Myasthenia Gravis (MG) patients using neuropharmacological drugs with successful results in all cases. These patients possessed neurochemical, endocrine, physiologic, pharmacologic and immunological profiles compatible with those observed in chronic uncontrollable stress situation: low levels of noradrenaline (NA) + raised levels of adrenaline (Ad) + high levels of free serotonin (f5HT) + raised levels of cortisol in the plasma. They also had Ad hyperresponsiveness + NA hyporresponsiveness to orthostasis, exercise, oral glucose and buspirone stress tests.  Growth hormone + cortisol hyperresponsiveness to clonidine were also observed in all patients. Platelet aggregability was increased in all of them. The immunological profile showed a Th2 > Th1 imbalance. All MG patients showed more than 90% improvement within 2-3 months as assessed through clinical, serologic, electromyographic, neurochemical and immunological parameters. Our results strongly suggest that chronic-uncontrollable stress disorder plays an important etiopathogenic role in the development of myasthenia gravis.

 

COPYRIGHT © 1997 FUAD LECHIN