<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Myasthenia gravis is an uncommon, but not rare, autoimmune disease
that can affect any voluntary muscle, like walking, talking, swallowing
breathing, chewing.
 
There is no cure but can usually be controlled by medications such as
Mestinon (pyridostigmine, Imuran, prednisone, cyclosporine) or
procedures such as plasmapheresis(ridding the blood of antibodies that
cover over the receptors at the neuromuscular junction) IVIG
(intravenous immunoglobulin) A thymectomy (removing the thymus gland)
All treat the affects of myasthenia but do not get at the cause.
 
No 2 patients are alike in their medications or affects. The medications
have to be 'tailor made' for the patient.
 
Pyridostigmine is the drug that is the 'center' of the "Gulf War
Syndrome" controversy.
 
Symptoms come and go. Can affect ANYBODY, from birth to ???., but usually
affects women in their child bearing ages and men in their later years.
Any age, any race, both sexes,any place. Not considered hereditary but
usually family members have other autoimmune diseases.
 
 There are different types. One, Ocular affects only the eyes, bulbar
affects the breathing, generalized can affect any voluntary muscle.
Congenital MG is not autoimmune, but the others are.
 
Onassis had MG and had his eyelids taped up, so that they would stay up.
 
I am the Director of the CT "Nutmeg" State Chapter of the Myasthenia
Gravis Fndn.  You can learn more about myasthenia from our home pages
 
http://pages.prodigy.com/myasthenia/
 
Other than it also being an autoimmune disease I have never heard of it
in relation to celiac
 
Hope this helps
 
Irv Beck