Myasthenia gravis: a personal view of pathogenesis and mechanism, part 1.

A review of our current knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis is presented, with particular emphasis on the immunological aspects of the disease. Part 1, published in this issue, deals with the clinical and genetic features of myasthenia gravis which led to the autoimmune theory of the etiology of this disease. Various theories in this field are reviewed, and recent advances in our knowledge of the acetylcholine receptor protein, and its immunology, are examined. Part 2, which will appear in the March/April issue, provides a review of the dysfunction of physiology, pharmacology, and structure of the neuromuscular junction in myasthenia gravis, and the part played by the autoimmune process.