Question

56 y/o F comes to physician 3 wk hx increasing weakness of arms and legs.

- Smoking
- Weakness of hip girdle muscles, lesser weakness of shoulder girdle muscles.
- Weakness improves with repetitive testing.
- Hilar lung mass

Answer 1

The symptoms described suggest a possible diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue. A key diagnostic test for myasthenia gravis is the repetitive nerve stimulation test. This test involves stimulating a nerve repeatedly and measuring the muscle response.

Step-by-step explanation:

The symptoms described, such as weakness of the hip girdle muscles, lesser weakness of the shoulder girdle muscles, and improvement of weakness with repetitive testing, along with the presence of a lung mass, suggest a possible diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue.

It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the connection between nerve cells and muscles, leading to weakness and fatigue. A key diagnostic test for myasthenia gravis is the repetitive nerve stimulation test, which involves stimulating a nerve repeatedly and measuring the response of the muscle. In myasthenia gravis, the muscle response becomes progressively weaker with repetitive stimulation.