myasthenia gravis

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease of impaired transmission of motor nerve impulses, characterized by episodic muscle weakness and easy fatigability, especially of the face, tongue, neck, and respiratory muscles: caused by autoimmune destruction of acetylcholine receptors. MG

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myasthenia gravis British  

/ ˈɡrɑːvɪs /

noun

1. a chronic progressive disease in which the muscles, esp those of the head and face, become weak and easily fatigued

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Etymology

Origin of myasthenia gravis

1895–1900; < New Latin: serious muscle weakness

Example Sentences

Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles has revealed she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis - a neuromuscular autoimmune disease - three years ago.

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025

The doctor listened to Emmons’s description of her symptoms and told her he suspected she had myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular condition that causes muscle weakness.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2021

Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial president of the Philippines, has revealed he is suffering from the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, a condition that could cause serious health complications for the 74-year-old leader.

From The Guardian • Oct. 7, 2019

After a year and a half of tests and several brutal eye surgeries, he was given a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease that interferes with the way nerves and muscles communicate.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2017

Esophageal paralysis is not uncommon in myasthenia gravis.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier