Speaker: Rev. Clint Moore III, Ph.D., M.Div., F.T., B.C.C.
What’s involved when you’re ill with myasthenia and treatment decisions need to be made? Who can help with your choices? Do you have enough information to make decisions? What if you disagree with your doctor? Can you opt out of care?
Rev. Clint Moore will address these issues at the Conquer MG Spring Meeting.
Rev. Moore is a fascinating speaker with unique credentials. He’ speaks to community groups, medical professionals, and med students about the dilemmas and ethical choices involved in health care. As the Director of The Center for Clinical Ethics at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, he has discussed difficult topics with countless patients, including those who are ill with myasthenia gravis. Don’t miss his thought-provoking talk!
Event is free, includes lunch. Please consider a donation of $25 per person (or amount of your choice) to help offset costs.
Please register by Tuesday, April 17, to be included in the count for lunch. You can register by clicking the button above. Or call the office at 1-800-888-6208. Walk-ins are welcome. Your advance notice helps us plan for enough seating and food.
Dress like a Viking and help Conquer Myasthenia Gravis! Put on your warrior helmet and join us for the 6th Annual Strides Against MG Run/Walk. You can give hope to those struggling with this rare autoimmune disease called “MG.” New for 2018:
A Viking theme! Bring your Viking accessories, team signs, and poses!
An untimed 5K Fun Run has been added for fitness warriors.
Online registrationis closed as of June 1, 5pm.But that’ ok, you still can register the morning of the walk.
Fundraising – asking your friends and family to support your cause – has a new look this year, too. Click the Donate Now button to check out our fundraising campaign on www.crowdrise.co (NOTE: If you set up a fundraising page, be sure to select our legal name, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Illinois.)
The 5K Fun Run will be followed by the Kids’ Dash and Viking stroll (one, two, or three miles) around Berens Park. The family-friendly event includes kid prizes, bubbles and bags, and plenty of Viking snacks.
You also can tend the hearth (at the tent), and enjoy live music by Peter Jens.
Register early to ensure your spot (and your t-shirt!).
ABOUT THE WALK
7:30 a.m. Event check-in opens
8:15 a.m. Welcome
8:30 a.m. Fun Run
8:45 a.m. Kids’ Dash
9:00 a.m. Walk for MG
This is an untimed event.
WHERE
Berens Park, 493 Oaklawn Avenue
Elmhurst, IL 60126
REGISTRATION FEE
$35 per runner or walker; $40 on walk day
$15 per child under age 13
REGISTER BY Tuesday, MAY 8 to ensure you get a t-shirt and that it’s the right size. Youth Medium and Men’s sizes up to 3X available.
You can register yourself and others online. You can sign the online waiver for yourself and each person you register who is under age 18. Those over 18 must complete their own waiver.
To register by mail, click here to print a 2018walkform.
DONATIONS AND FUNDRAISING
Your support is welcome and needed.
Click here to make an individual donation. Tell us if your donation is for the Strides Against MG fundraiser in your comments.
Click here to have your donation assigned to a specific team or individual fundraiser. Choose the orange button that says “Donate to a Fundraiser.”
Click here to become a fundraiser and invite others to donate. You’ll choose the gray button that says “Set Up Your Fundraiser.”
Click Frequently Asked Questions 2018 for answers to frequently asked questions about the event.Let’s raise public awareness of myasthenia gravis!Want to volunteer? Call 1-800-888-6208.
Click here to see pictures from the 2017 walk on our Facebook page.
Men’s & Women’s Issues and Myasthenia Gravis
Posted by myasthenia
MG and its treatments can affect aspects of being a man or woman. We thank neurologist David Randall, DO, from Northshore Neurological Institute in Glenview, Illinois, for shedding light on these issues. He spoke at the Conquer MG Fall Patient Meeting in October, 2017.
What follows are highlights from Dr. Randall’s talk. If you’d like to see a short video clip or his full presentation, visit our YouTube channel.
MG Incidence in Men and Women
When considering how myasthenia gravis affects men compared to women,
Women are over represented; they make up over 60% of MG patients.
Women are more often affected at a younger age.
The highest incidence for women is in the 20s and 30s.
Genetic studies correlate early-onset myasthenia gravis, which affects women of childbearing age, and the HLA-DR3 and B8 gene-alleles. Other genes also affect susceptibility to autoimmune disorders.
Men are more often affected after age 50; this incidence appears to be rising.
MG and Women
Periods of exacerbation – when MG symptoms get significantly worse – can be triggered in both men and women. Triggers include infection, anesthesia, thyroid changes, medications, emotional stress, and physical stress (such as illness, trauma, or surgery).
MG symptoms in women also can be affected by menses, pregnancy, and postpartum changes in hormones.
Menses
Small studies and case reports have demonstrated a frequent exacerbation of myasthenia gravis during the menstrual period.
In one study, 42 premenopausal women with generalized disease were evaluated. Twenty eight (67%) of the patients reported exacerbation of their myasthenic symptoms two to three days prior to the menstrual period.
This exacerbation persisted in 22 study participants to the third day of the menstrual period. In nine of the women this clinical worsening necessitated an increased intake of medications during the days prior to menstruation.
Menstrual exacerbations occur in both seronegative and seropositive patients. These exacerbations may frequently necessitate therapeutic changes.
Anecdotal benefits of long acting birth control pills have been reported.
Improvement of these exacerbations tends to occur after menopause.
Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum Issues
If you’re a woman with MG, it’s important to discuss your pregnancy plans in advance with your neurologist whenever possible, so you can work as a team for the best outcomes. You’ll want to discuss how pregnancy can affect your MG, and how MG can affect your pregnancy. Together you can discuss if pregnancy is an option, medications that need to be changed, and risks to the fetus and newborn. You’ll want any pregnancies to be closely monitored.
Visit our YouTube channel for Dr. Randall’s detailed discussion about how MG impacts pregnancy, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and the postpartum period. He also discusses MG’s effect on the fetus and newborn,
MG and Men
For men, MG generally is not a direct cause of infertility, erectile dysfunction, or loss of libido. However, low testosterone may be correlated with myasthenia gravis in terms of MG medications and with factors not associated with medications.
Low testosterone is known to cause the following:
Loss of muscle mass and strength
Fat distribution
Bone density
Hair Loss
Mood
Fatigue
Decreased sex drive
Erectile dysfunction
Other factors related to a chronic illness like myasthenia can play a part in male sexual dysfunction. Individuals who have MG are at higher risk for general fatigue, depression, thyroid disease and diabetes. These other symptoms and diseases and their treatments may cause male sexual dysfunction.
If you have these issues, discuss them with your neurologist. Your medications should be reviewed, and other underlying causes such as depression or diabetes should be considered and treated. Your doctor can check hormone levels, and treat low testosterone.
MG Medications
Medications used to treat MG can produce side effects for men and women. For example:
Prednisone can cause:
Emotional changeability (men and women)
Depression (men and women)
Hair loss (men and women)
Low serum testosterone (men)
Decreased libido (men and women)
Weight gain (men and women)
Bone demineralization (men and women)
Mycophenolate can cause:
Emotional changeability (men and women)
Erectile dysfunction (men)
Azathioprine can cause:
Hair loss (men and women)
Mestinon can cause:
Emotional changeability (men and women)
No specific side effects related to men or women have been reported for:
Dress like a Viking and help Conquer Myasthenia Gravis! Put on your warrior helmet and join us for the 6th Annual Strides Against MG Run/Walk. You can give hope to those struggling with this rare autoimmune disease called “MG.” New for 2018:
