Juvenile Myasthenia gravis presenting with recurrent aspiration pneumonitis in a Nigerian child

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare and chronic neurologic disease of neonates and older children. It commonly presents with progressive skeletal muscle weakness. Presentation with aspiration pneumonitis is uncommon and more so with recurrent aspiration pneumonitis. Diagnosis of recurrent aspiration secondary to MG can thus, be slow to make, especially at in a resource limited setting. A five year old boy presented with features suggestive of recurrent food aspiration and underlying Myasthenia gravis at the paediatric emergency unit of a Nigerian hospital. The case is reported in order document the occurrence of MG in our resource limited setting with the view to provide information that may aid the diagnostic acumen of physicians practicing in similar settings. The challenges associated with managing Myasthenis gravis in a resource limited setting are also discussed.