Snapshot A 46-year-old woman presents to her primary care physician with double vision and weakness. She reports her double vision occurs when watching television or reading a book, and her weakness is most severe at the end of the day. On physical exam, when asking the patient to look up for a few minutes, ptosis ensues. When applying a glove filled with ice on the ptosis, it improves. Laboratory testing is significant for autoantibodies directed against acetylcholine receptors. (Myasthenia gravis) Introduction Clinical definition login to view 2 more bullets Background login to view 5 more bullets Pathogenesis login to view 15 more bullets Clinical Correlate Select Autoimmune Diseases Disease Pathogenesis Findings Rheumatoid arthritis Autoreactive T-cells act on antigens found in the synovium of the joint Inflammatory arthritis Graves' disease Autoantibodies act on the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor Hyperthyroidism Systemic lupus erythematosus Autoantibodies and autoreactive T-cells act on DNA chromatin proteins ribonucleoproteins Vasculitis Rash Glomerulonephritis Multiple sclerosis Autoreactive T-cells act on central nervous system antigens Myelin sheath destruction and sclerotic plaque formation Myasthenia gravis Autoantibodies act on acetylcholine receptors muscle-specific tyrosine kinase Fatiguable muscles weakness Type 1 diabetes mellitus Autoreactive T-cells act on antigens found on pancreatic islet cells ↓ Insulin production