The neurologist called muscle weakness a common symptom of neurological diseases.

Muscle weakness and fatigue, often attributed to overwork, can be symptoms of serious neurological diseases. On August 31, Galina Chudinskaya, a neurologist at Medicine JSC (Academician Roitberg Clinic), told Izvestia about this.

According to the expert, these conditions require special attention, as they may indicate myasthenia gravis, inflammatory myopathies or polyneuropathies. The key "red flags" indicating the need for urgent specialist advice are progressive weakness, fatigue, which increases in the evening, asymmetric manifestations, as well as impaired eye movements, swallowing or voice.

Chudinskaya clarified that myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the receptors of neuromuscular junctions. This is manifested in drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty swallowing, and weakness in the proximal muscles, which increases in the evening.

"The diagnosis includes a clinical trial with proserin, electroneuromyography, detection of specific antibodies and CT scan of the mediastinum to exclude a tumor of the thymus gland. Early initiation of treatment makes it possible to achieve remission and significantly improve the quality of life," the doctor noted.

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A separate group of diseases, according to the neurologist, are inflammatory myopathies, including polymyositis, dermatomyositis, inclusive myopathy and necrotizing autoimmune myopathy. They are characterized by inflammation of skeletal muscles, proximal weakness, and elevated creatine phosphokinase levels in the blood. Dermatomyositis, in particular, is accompanied by characteristic skin manifestations and is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Diagnosis requires an integrated approach with ENMG, MRI of muscles, biopsy and analysis for specific antibodies.

Another common cause of weakness is polyneuropathy— diffuse peripheral nerve damage most often caused by diabetes, vitamin B deficiency, or autoimmune processes. They are manifested by progressive weakness starting in the distal extremities, muscle atrophy and decreased reflexes.

The diagnosis includes electroneuromyography and a complex of laboratory tests. The specialist emphasized that an early visit to a neurologist and a full-fledged examination make it possible to make a timely diagnosis and begin adequate therapy aimed at preserving the patient's ability to work and improving the patient's prognosis.

On May 27, neurologist Vitaly Akimov told Izvestia which groups of people are most susceptible to multiple sclerosis. According to the doctor, the risk group includes young women from 12 to 40 years old, with a peak onset of the disease at 17-19 years old, with close relatives with multiple sclerosis, living in northern latitudes, who have had viral infections.

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