The Myasthenia Gravis Association

Welcome

Welcome to the official web site of the Myasthenia Gravis Association (MGA)

What Is Myasthenia Gravis?

Myasthenia Gravis is an auto-immune disease which is characterized by fluctuating, sometimes fatal, muscle weakness.

The body's immune system, in the form of antibodies, attacks and damages the nerve signal reception areas on the muscles - causing a breakdown in communication between nerve and muscle; this results in a loss of effectiveness of the muscle.

What Does This Mean?

To someone affected by Myasthenia Gravis it means that symptoms vary according to the amount of activity undergone, the onset of infection or stress of any kind. As a result diagnosis by a GP is extremely difficult. Also family and friends need a great deal of understanding to come to terms with a relative or friend who seems perfectly normal one moment, and a few hours, or even minutes later is droopy and listless.

Activities taken for granted by most of us become difficult or even impossible at times for myasthenics. Simple things like eating food, lifting arms, speaking to friends or laughing.

What Is Being Done?

The Myasthenia Gravis Association is a Charity working from its headquarters in Derby, England through its Regional Organisers, Branches and Representatives throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, offering support to Myasthenics and their families, increasing public and medical awareness and raising funds for research, education and patient care . Recent research has resulted in more understanding and better management of the disease but there is still no cure.

MGA-funded research is focused on areas of specific value for the diagnosis and treatment of Myasthenia Gravis, Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, (LEMS) and Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome (CMS).

The MGA is currently funding two Post-Graduate Research Fellowships at British Universities for qualified doctors who wish to become neurologists. These Fellowships will lead to the award of PhD degrees following relevant research into one of the diseases of interest to MGA. The MGA also expends a large part of its income on raising awareness of MG, LEMS and CMS in the medical profession, patients and the general public.

The MGA is providing funds to promote the establishment of Specialist Myasthenia Gravis nurses at five centres of specialist neurological diagnosis and treatment in the UK and Ireland. The MGA provides funds to each hospital trust to cover the salary and overhead costs of the post for an initial period which allows the cost and medical-effectiveness of the nurse to be demonstrated.

Parliamentary Lobbying

As part of our awareness campaign we encourage you to lobby your MPs. If you would like to get involved in the lobbying campaign, just click HERE.

MGA Forum

There is an MGA Internet message board available to foster the online MGA community spirit. It is intended to provide for open discussion on any matter of concern to sufferers from Myasthenia Gravis, LEMS and CMS and to all those people taking part in our fund-raising ventures. To join the Forum click HERE. Please respect the guidelines for the use of this facility which are shown on the main Forum Page.

MGA Newsletter

The Association publishes a quarterly magazine, MGA News.

Current and recent issues of the magazine are available for download HERE.

MGA Publications

The Association publishes a variety of booklets and leaflets for the education and assistance of Myasthenics, their carers, friends and families, and medical practitioners. These publications may be obtained from MGA Head Office. Most of the publications are also available for download HERE.

The Association also publishes a Medical Video and a Promotional Video on CDROMs; details can be found HERE.

We are currently undertaking a complete revision of our publications, to bring them up to date and improve the format and accessibility. The new versions are published online in PDF format.

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