Misra Isha, Temesgen Frehiwot D, Soleiman Noha, Kalyanam Janaki, Kurukumbi Mohankumar
Department of Neurology, Howard University Hospital.
Case Rep Neurol. 2012 Sep;4(3):137-43. doi: 10.1159/000342448. Epub 2012 Sep 12.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by weakness in specific muscle groups, especially the ocular and bulbar muscles. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) presents with ascending paralysis and areflexia, often secondary to an infection. Several theories have been proposed regarding the etiology behind GBS, with many studies pointing to a possible autoimmune cause. If this is in fact true, it is also possible that the two diseases may develop concurrently. While this is unusual, several recently published studies highlight such cases of concurrent MG and GBS. This co-occurrence could involve certain common proteins, as the two diseases can present somewhat similarly. This is an unusual case of a patient with no significant past medical history, presenting with generalized weakness and symptoms of new-onset diabetes, who developed bilateral ptosis, distal weakness, and areflexia while in the hospital, raising the possibility of concurrent MG and GBS. Although the diagnosis of MG was confirmed by the positive anticholinesterase antibodies and tensilon test, several features, including sudden onset of ascending paralysis and areflexia, were more common in GBS than MG. It is possible, albeit rare, that these two syndromes could have developed concurrently and that the untreated diabetes mellitus could have contributed to the neurological symptoms. This case is reported because of the rarity of its features, diagnostic and management challenges.
重症肌无力(MG)是一种自身免疫性疾病,其特征是特定肌肉群出现无力,尤其是眼肌和延髓肌。吉兰 - 巴雷综合征(GBS)表现为上行性麻痹和腱反射消失,通常继发于感染。关于GBS背后的病因已经提出了几种理论,许多研究指出可能存在自身免疫性病因。如果这确实是真的,那么这两种疾病也有可能同时发生。虽然这种情况不常见,但最近发表的几项研究强调了MG和GBS同时发生的此类病例。这种共现可能涉及某些共同的蛋白质,因为这两种疾病的表现可能有些相似。这是一个不寻常的病例,患者既往无重大病史,出现全身无力和新发糖尿病症状,住院期间出现双侧上睑下垂、远端无力和腱反射消失,增加了MG和GBS同时发生的可能性。尽管抗胆碱酯酶抗体阳性和腾喜龙试验证实了MG的诊断,但包括上行性麻痹和腱反射消失的突然发作在内的几个特征在GBS中比在MG中更常见。这两种综合征有可能同时发生,尽管很罕见,而且未经治疗的糖尿病可能导致了神经症状。报告这个病例是因为其特征罕见、诊断和管理具有挑战性。