Trigeminal neuralgia in an elderly male patient with serologically proven myasthenia gravis: Co-occurrence or causation?

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia and myasthenia gravis, both are debilitating neurological pathologies causing a significant negative impact on a person's quality of life by virtue of symptoms like unrelenting excruciating pain and muscle weakness respectively. The case was distinct as the elderly male presented with two variable presentations of distinct neurological diseases over a short period. He presented to us with sudden onset ptosis and monocular diplopia followed by sharp stabbing lancinating hemifacial pain around the V1-V2 region two months later. Hereby, trigeminal neuralgia was diagnosed in a case of seropositive ocular myasthenia gravis. Timely and appropriate diagnoses were made with the support of pertinent investigation and imaging and a relevant treatment plan was commenced.

Keywords

• ocular myasthenia gravis
• trigeminal neuralgia
• autoimmune
• facial pain