What is myasthenia gravis? (Is the Brilliant Minds condition real?)

Throughout Brilliant Minds season 1, we’ve been introduced to some new and unique medical conditions. The midseason finale did not disappoint.

Caution: This post contains MINOR SPOILERS for Brilliant Minds season 1, episode 11

Jacob had a patient who he was quickly trying to discharge due to a bet with Van. However, he soon realized that there was something odd going on. His patient’s voice kept changing, and this patient said that it would happen if he talked a lot.

When the patient’s eye drooped, Jacob realized that he needed to diagnose this patient. That diagnosis was myasthenia gravis. Is it a real condition, though? Just like others you haven’t heard of, you can betcha that this is a real condition!

Brilliant Minds introduces us to myasthenia gravis

The condition is a chronic neuromuscular disease. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it affects the voluntary muscles, which includes those that connect to a person’s bones, in the face and throat. These muscles are essential for breathing, swallowing, and facial movements, as well as contract the arms and legs to move.

It is an autoimmune disease, which means that it occurs because the body attacks health cells or proteins by mistake. This can come on suddenly, or it can be there for some time without a diagnosis. It’s not always immediately recognized.

We saw some of the symptoms of the condition in the episode, which included weakness of the eye muscle and a drooping eyelid. We also saw how the patient fell over and shows the symptoms of weakness in the legs. The biggest one was the change in the voice, as one of the symptoms can be impaired speech.

There can also be weakness in the arms, hands, and fingers. As the symptoms get more serious, they can lead to difficult swallowing and breathing, double vision, and changes in facial expressions.

Both men and women are affected equally. This is usually a condition in women under 40 and men over 60, though, but it can also occur during childhood. It’s still a relative rare condition, mking it harder to get a diagnosis.

Left untreated, it can be fatal. Some patients struggle to breathe so much that they need a ventilator. This is called a myasthenic crisis, with 15-20% of patients having one of these at least once in their lives.

Brilliant Minds is available to stream on Peacock.

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