The thymus gland, our immune system's trainer, has a mysterious connection to Myasthenia Gravis (MG).
Meet the Thymus
The Thymus gland is located in the front of the chest, just in front of, and above the heart.
Imagine the thymus as a school for our body's defenders, the T-cells.
It teaches young T-cells to grow and battle infections for us.
As we get older, the thymus gets smaller, and when we are adults we don’t need it as much.
The Mystery Link: Thymus and MG
There's a puzzling connection between the thymus and MG, and researchers are piecing it together.
10% of MG patients have tumors in their thymus, and 70% have an overactive thymus gland.
So it is believed the thymus might have a role to play in the body mistakenly attacking itself in MG.
Piecing Together the Thymus-MG Puzzle
Fun fact: If doctors place thymus tissue from an MG patient into a lab mouse, that mouse shows MG signs!
Most of the tumors in the thymus of MG patients are like harmless visitors and can be removed safely.
But here's the twist: Even after removing these tumors, MG can appear or continue, so the role of thymic gland in MG is still under investigation.
You can read more information here
Disclaimer
Content has been taken from MGFA, adapted and clinically reviewed for accuracy.