Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Rare neuro disorder treated

GUNTUR: A team of doctors of Neurology Department, Government General Hospital here, have successfully treated a man diagnosed with a rare neuro-muscular disorder called ‘Myasthenia Gravis'.

According to professor of Neurology N. Sundarachary, annual incidence of the disease was about one in three lakh individuals. Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachan too was affected with this disorder but he recovered.

Patient Venkat Rao (30) was admitted to GGH on May 8 with complaints of difficulty in swallowing and chewing, drooping of right upper eye lid, nasal quality of speech and nasal regurgitation of fluids through nostrils.

The patient had earlier undergone a nasal surgery but did not have relief. Patients suffering from the disease have difficulty in neuro-muscular movements, like weakness of muscles which makes even simple functions look very difficult. The progression of disease is characterised by weakness of trunk muscles and legs, sometimes leading to respiratory failure too.

But, surprisingly, the nervous system of the patients was spared and most of the patients have an abnormal growth of thymus gland. “We have conducted investigations testing receptor antibodies levels, electro physiological studies, CT Chest and neostigmine test and all the results tested positive,” Dr. Sundarachary said. Doctors successfully removed the thymus gland by performing Thymectomy.

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