“The doctor suggested medication and asked me to rest. But I was so scared and worried. When I came home, I was wondering how would I ever work in films. I can’t even walk and don’t know if I would be able to talk properly,” Amitabh Bachchan once said

Amitabh Bachchan once suffered from this medical condition (Source: Amitabh Bachchan/Blog)

While hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh Bachchan often shares insightful information about various things and people, including himself. On one such episode, during the show’s 15th season, the superstar opened up about once being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis — which crashed all his hopes for a successful career in the future. But, he added that director Manmohan Desai went on to offer him a wheelchair-bound role, which was no less than a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

“You cannot drink water, button your coat, and even close or open your eyes. The doctor suggested medication and asked me to rest. But I was so scared and worried. When I came home, I was wondering how would I ever work in films. I can’t even walk and don’t know if I would be able to talk properly. It was a tough time. I was at home when director Manmohan Desai, with whom I had collaborated multiple times came, to meet me. He said, ‘Tu bilkul mat darr. Tereko wheelchair pe bitha ke silent role dunga‘. I cannot describe how important it was to see that optimism in someone else. That support was what I needed most,” Bachchan said on the show.

Sharing an interesting case study about the same condition recently on X was Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist. The expert wrote that he encountered a similar problem with a 55-year-old patient, a professor, who was a favourite among his students.

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“Students would patiently listen to his hour-long lectures without losing concentration. Mr Raj Mohan (name changed) used to love teaching. However, for the past three months, he had been facing difficulties during his lectures. His voice used to become faint (low volume) during lectures. This problem was more evident on the days when he had evening classes (as compared to morning classes). His lectures would start with a good and loud voice, however, by the time he had spoken for about 40 minutes, his voice would become faint, and students found it difficult to comprehend his speech,” he wrote.

According to Dr Kumar, the professor’s ENT reports came normal with no problems found in his throat. “He had no other symptoms except for speech impairment. The symptoms were typical of a specific disease. I ordered a few investigations, which confirmed my suspicion. The final diagnosis was myasthenia gravis presenting with dysarthria. The acetylcholine receptor antibody test was positive (elevated). CT scan of the chest showed a thymoma (tumour of thymus gland). I discussed the diagnosis and treatment options. He was started on medications, and referred for thymectomy (surgical removal of thymus gland),” shared Dr Kumar, adding that the patient has now doing well, and has joined his work. “His speech problem had completely resolved, and his voice was as loud as ever,” added Dr Kumar.

 Know all about this condition (Source: Pixabay)

What is the condition all about?

Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the receptors responsible for transmitting signals between nerves and muscles. “This results in muscle weakness and fatigue, particularly in muscles of the eyes, those responsible for swallowing and the limbs. In such cases, weakness fluctuates. One usually feels better in the morning hours, particularly in the face and neck muscles,” said Dr Hema Krishna P, consultant, neurology and movement disorders, Aster CMI Bangalore.

The chronic autoimmune disease is primarily caused by antibodies. These antibodies disrupt the communication between the nerves and the muscles. “These later result in the weakening of the skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscles are the muscle that connects your bones and encourages movements like walking and running. It negatively affects the voluntary muscles of the body, especially those responsible for controlling the eyes, throat, limbs, and mouth. The chances of getting affected with myasthenia gravis increase in young women from the age group of 20 to 30 and 50 and older in men,” said Dr Pavan Pai, consultant interventional neurologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road.

Your doctor might closely examine your current situation, and the symptoms you are experiencing for a tailored treatment plan. “For this, they might prescribe you certain tests for a better understanding of your condition and the damage caused. They may suggest undergoing a combination of tests like neurological tests, ice pack tests, blood analyses, repetitive nerve stimulation, pulmonary function tests, and imaging tests like x-rays, CT scans, or MRI,” informed Dr Pai.

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Management of autoimmune diseases typically involves “immunosuppressive medications to modulate the overactive immune response and reduce inflammation”. “Diagnoses is based on clinical symptoms along with with certain tests like RNST and blood,” said Dr Hema.