What is the life expectancy of a 4 yr old with myasthenia gravis?

Question

only symtoms at this time is droopy eyes

Answer 1

Hello,

Sorry about that,

I do not know alot about this disease, but i know it effect the skeletal system ..

Without treatment
Untreated, the disease is typically 'active' for 5-7 years and symptoms may progressively get worse over this time. Symptoms can vary in severity from person to person and from time to time in the same person. After this time the symptoms may reduce or even go away completely (a spontaneous remission). Up to 1 in 5 people with myasthenia gravis can expect a spontaneous remission where the disease 'goes away'. However, recurrences may occur sometime in the future even if symptoms do clear. Also, without treatment, up to 3 in 10 people would die within 10 years of developing myasthenia gravis.

With treatment
Treatment usually works well. With treatment, most people with myasthenia gravis can expect improvement and many will become free of symptoms. So, although myasthenia gravis literally means 'grave muscle weakness', the outlook is not as 'grave' as it once was. Life expectancy is now normal in most cases. In the cases where the disease 'goes away' after a few years, then treatment such as steroids or immunosuppressive medicines can be stopped.

Here is another researched document i found okay, hope it helps

ABSTRACT - Myasthenia gravis (MG) in childhood is rare comprising 10 to 20 % of all myasthenic patients. We studied 18 patients with MG whose first symptoms started from 1 to 12 years of age, followed at the Department of Neurology of the UNIFESP-EPM, from January 1983 to August 1997. There were 10 girls and 8 boys (1.2:1). Eleven patients (61%) presented moderate or severe generalized disease and 4 (22%) had at least one myasthenic crisis. EMG with supramaximal repetitive nerve stimulation was diagnostic in 8 (47%) out of 17 patients, and chest CT was normal in 14 patients. Seropositivity to acetylcholine receptor antibodies was found in 81.6% (9 out of 11 tested) and the levels had no relation to clinical severity. Nine out of 16 patients (56%) worsened with pyridostigmine alone and were treated with prednisone. Four out of those nine continued worsening despite steroids and were subjected to thymectomy (all showed thymic lymphoid follicular hyperplasia). Three patients (75%) improved markedly after thymectomy and one (25%) worsened, eventually getting better with intravenous immunoglobulin and oral azathioprine. MG treatment, using all resources available, has to be individualized for each child.

Here are some websites that might be helpful to you

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/7/1680_53869.htm
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/myastheniagravis.htm
http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/15968930

Take care and God bless you and your kid...hope your kid lives a long and healthy life....

Answer 2

Myasthenia Gravis Life Expectancy

Answer 3

Life expectancy can never be diagnosed. I am the mother of a child that had an anoxic episode at three months and has severe brain damage seizure disorder, and was not expected to live and would be in a vegetative state. He is thriving and very happy and healthy. The best advice I could give anyone going thru soemthing like this is to enjoy each day, and laugh.