A 25-year-old woman couldn't open her eyes after staying up late! It turned out to be due to this disease →

Xiaoyan, 25, works for a company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Sometimes she has to work overtime until late at night or even early in the morning to meet a project deadline. Not long ago, Xiaoyan stayed up late for two consecutive days and suddenly found her eyelids were very heavy when she woke up in the morning. "It was like a heavy object was hanging on my eyes. I couldn't open them at all!"

Staying up late can cause ocular myasthenia gravis

At first, she thought it was fatigue that caused her swollen eyes, and her family advised her to sleep more if she was too sleepy. But later, when she was fully awake, she could only barely open her eyes a crack, and it was still the same the next day. Xiaoyan rushed to the hospital for treatment. Xiaoyan's "squinty eyes" made it difficult for her to see clearly, so she wore sunglasses and had to be supported by her family when she went up and down stairs and escalators.

The doctor from the Department of Neurology at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital conducted a detailed interview and learned that half a year ago, Xiaoyan also had the experience of being unable to open her eyes after staying up late. The symptoms were relieved after she rested, but this time there was no sign of relief after closing her eyes and resting for more than a day.

Xiaoyan was admitted to the neurology ward. After a series of examinations and medical history, Xiaoyan was diagnosed with ocular myasthenia gravis. The doctor explained that ocular myasthenia gravis is one of the types of myasthenia gravis, which often causes ptosis of the upper eyelid due to unilateral or bilateral paralysis of the extraocular muscles, and may be accompanied by strabismus and diplopia. If effective intervention is not actively carried out, severe cases may lead to significant restriction of eye movement, fixation of the eyeball, and even accelerate the deterioration of the disease, leading to generalized myasthenia gravis.

After the diagnosis was confirmed, the doctor gave Xiaoyan glucocorticoid treatment to regulate immunity. After a complete set of corresponding treatments, Xiaoyan's eyes gradually returned to normal and she was discharged from the hospital two days ago.

"Many diseases are caused by lack of sleep. For example, myasthenia gravis, a neuroimmune disease, may develop once various causes are combined, such as staying up late, overwork, infection, etc., which lead to a decrease in resistance, and certain defects in the immune system itself." The neurologist warned.

This disease "prefers" young and middle-aged women

If you are so tired that you can't even lift your eyelids, it may not be simple physical fatigue. You should be alert to myasthenia gravis, which is more common in young and middle-aged people, especially in women.

Guo Shunyuan, director and chief physician of the Department of Neurology at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, introduced that myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by dysfunction in transmission between nerve and muscle joints, with an incidence rate of about 6 to 10 people per 100,000.

"Because the initial symptoms of myasthenia gravis are sometimes very hidden, people are less aware of the disease. Many patients often have symptoms for a long time before they are diagnosed and treated, at which point they have missed the best time for treatment."

Doctors remind that with the coming of the hot summer, we should ensure adequate sleep and avoid staying up late to avoid colds and other factors that may reduce our immunity. If you experience droopy eyelids, double vision, difficulty speaking and swallowing, difficulty raising your head, lifting your arms, combing your hair, climbing stairs, squatting and other physical symptoms, it is best to go to a regular hospital for a neurological examination in time to rule out the possibility of myasthenia gravis as soon as possible.