[Unusual treatment for myasthenia gravis associated with asthma]

Abstract

Abnormal antibody production is now recognized as the basis of many diseases, among them myasthenia gravis (MG) and a variant of bronchial asthma. It is not unusual to find 2 or even more of these diseases in the same patient. A patient in whom both MG and bronchial asthma were diagnosed is presented. In both diseases the respiratory muscles are mechanically disadvantaged, which may result in severe dyspnea. In our case, despite specific treatment for both diseases severe attacks of dyspnea still occurred. Specific inspiratory muscle training was followed by significant clinical improvement. There was indirect evidence that respiratory muscles can be trained in patients with MG. Thus, patients with MG with respiratory muscle involvement may benefit from respiratory muscle training.