6. Illness Related Causes
Young people and children experiencing chronic sickness may be at a higher risk of developing myasthenia gravis. When we fall sick, the immune system produces more antibodies to fight off the infection. However, in some cases, the thymus gland may not provide enough antibodies to cover the needs of the body to eliminate the pathogen or bacteria.
Young children may experience a disruption to the normal function of the thymus gland during illness, reducing their ability to produce T-cells. In the absence of T-cells, an individual is more likely to fall sick frequently as their body struggles to fight off infection.
This lack of antibodies affects the function of the immune system, leading to the possible development of myasthenia gravis in the affected individual. The immune system becomes overtaxed by ridding the disease from the body and misidentifying other processes as biological threats. As a result, the weakened immune system further exacerbates the symptoms of the disease.