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Muscle weakness can be caused by a variety of diseases, acute infections, and chronic conditions. Some of the most common causes of muscle weakness include neurological conditions, infectious diseases, electrolyte imbalances, and neuromuscular disorders. In some cases, muscle weakness may also be a side effect of certain medications or the result of a spontaneous gene mutation. Myasthenia gravis, for example, is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles, affecting the eyes, mouth, throat, diaphragm, and limbs. Muscular dystrophy is another condition that can lead to muscle weakness, with symptoms including stiff joints, muscle wasting, and heart complications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Types | Muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), neuromuscular disorders, infectious conditions, electrolyte disorders, neurological conditions, chronic conditions, acute infections, medications, and genetic disorders |
| Muscular Dystrophy Types | Duchenne, Emery-Dreifuss, Myotonic, Facioscapulohumeral (FSHD), Congenital |
| Myasthenia Gravis Types | Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS), Neonatal myasthenia |
| Symptoms | Muscle weakness, muscle pain, muscle wasting, muscle atrophy, muscle stiffness, muscle twitching, muscle cramps, aches and pains, trouble walking, trouble using arms, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, trouble with facial movements, trouble closing eyelids, hearing loss, heart rhythm issues, fainting, dry eyes |
| Causes | Altered electrolyte levels, gene changes, inherited gene mutations, immune system disorders, unhealthy or dead nerve cells, nerve damage, spontaneous gene mutation, certain medications, stress, lack of nutrition, physical activity, acute or chronic infections, diabetes, fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, kidney function problems, stroke, cancer |
| Treatment | Physical therapy, medication, surgery, blood tests, genetic tests, nerve conduction studies, electromyogram (EMG), anticholinesterase medicine, balancing physical activity with rest, stress-reduction techniques, occupational therapy |
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What You'll Learn
Muscular dystrophy
The symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy start in early childhood and progress to affect the heart and lungs. Becker muscular dystrophy is the second most common type, which also mainly affects boys but can appear in girls with milder symptoms. The severity of Becker muscular dystrophy varies from person to person, and symptoms can appear at any time between the ages of 5 and 60, usually starting in the teenage years.
Myotonic dystrophy is the most common type diagnosed in adulthood, affecting men and women equally. People with myotonic dystrophy experience difficulty relaxing their muscles after use, and it can also affect the heart, lungs, and endocrine system. Other types of muscular dystrophy include Emery-Dreifuss, which causes joint stiffness and muscle wasting in the shoulders, upper arms, and calves, and Facioscapulohumeral (FSHD), which causes muscle weakness in the face, shoulders, and upper arms, often affecting one side of the body more than the other.
There is currently no cure for muscular dystrophy, but treatments can help manage symptoms and slow the course of the disease. These include physical and occupational therapies, corticosteroids, mobility aids, surgery, and heart care.
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Chronic conditions and acute infections
Muscle weakness can be a symptom of many chronic conditions and acute infections. Some infectious conditions that can cause muscle weakness include the flu, Lyme disease, meningitis, HIV, polio, and rabies. Some examples of neurological conditions that can cause muscle weakness are cervical spondylosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, botulism, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles, such as the muscles in the face, throat, and diaphragm. It is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body's defense system mistakenly attacks healthy cells or proteins needed for normal functioning. Myasthenia gravis is most often caused by antibodies to the acetylcholine receptor, but antibodies to other proteins can also impair transmission at the neuromuscular junction. In many adults with myasthenia gravis, the thymus gland remains large, and people with the disease typically have clusters of immune cells in their thymus gland. Some people with myasthenia gravis may also develop thymomas, or tumors in the thymus gland.
Another example of a chronic condition that can cause muscle weakness is fibromyalgia, which causes muscle pain and weakness. Altered levels of electrolytes can also cause muscle weakness, and risk factors for an electrolyte imbalance include diabetes. Finally, some acute infections that can cause muscle weakness include the flu, Lyme disease, meningitis, and polio.
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Neurological conditions
Muscle weakness can be a symptom of many chronic conditions and acute infections. It can also be a side effect of certain medications. Neuromuscular disorders affect the nerves that control voluntary muscles and the nerves that communicate sensory information back to the brain. When the neurons become unhealthy or die, communication between the nervous system and muscles breaks down, resulting in muscle weakness.
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles. It is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body's defence system mistakenly attacks healthy cells or proteins needed for normal functioning. The onset of the disorder may be sudden. It is most common in young adult women (under 40) and older men (over 60), but it can occur at any age, including childhood. It is not inherited or contagious, although it may occasionally be seen in multiple members of the same family. It is often treated with anticholinesterase medicines, which must be taken 30 to 45 minutes before meals to reduce the risk of aspiration (food entering the lung passages).
Several other neurological conditions can cause muscle weakness. These include:
- Cervical spondylosis: Age-related changes to the cushioning spinal disks in the neck can cause cervical spondylosis, which puts extra pressure on nerves and results in muscle weakness.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome: This rare neurological disorder can cause mild to severe muscle weakness.
- Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome: This autoimmune disorder occurs when a person’s immune system interferes with how nerves and muscles communicate, resulting in muscle weakness.
- Multiple sclerosis (MS): MS is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks and damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): This condition leads to degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing progressive muscle weakness.
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Neuromuscular disorders
Myasthenia gravis can be diagnosed through tests that respond to certain medicines, blood tests, genetic tests, nerve conduction studies, and electromyograms (EMG). There is currently no cure, but symptoms can be controlled through medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and surgery.
Other neuromuscular disorders include multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, which are all characterised by muscle weakness.
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Myasthenia gravis
The symptoms of MG can vary in severity and may fluctuate from day to day or even within a single day. People with MG are typically strongest after a full night's rest and weakest in the evening. Exercise may also impact the level of weakness and fatigue experienced. In some cases, MG can cause bulbar weakness, leading to difficulties with talking (dysarthria), chewing, swallowing (dysphagia), and holding up the head. Bulbar weakness can also cause speech to sound slurred and nasal and may result in frequent choking spells.
MG can be diagnosed through various tests, including blood tests, nerve function tests, and scans such as CT or MRI scans. While there is currently no cure for MG, treatments are available to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. These treatments may include avoiding triggers such as tiredness and stress, as well as medical therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. In cases where symptoms suddenly worsen, urgent hospital treatment may be required.
Remission, or the resolution of most or all symptoms, occurs in about 80-85% of people with MG who receive medical therapy. However, 10-15% of cases are considered refractory, meaning they do not respond to traditional medications. New targeted therapies and drugs are being developed to treat these refractory cases and newly diagnosed patients. Juvenile MG, which tends to progress more slowly, has a higher incidence of remission compared to adult-onset MG.
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Frequently asked questions
There are a variety of diseases that can cause muscle weakness, including:
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Flu
- Lyme Disease
- HIV
- Polio
- Rabies
- Cervical spondylosis
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Botulism
- Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles, such as the muscles in the face, throat, and diaphragm. It can also cause difficulty breathing, swallowing, and making facial movements.
There are several types of muscular dystrophy, each with its own set of symptoms. Some common symptoms include muscle weakness, trouble walking and using arms, and shortening of muscles or tendons around joints.
