A 40-year-old woman is diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, and her provider recommends removal of her thymus gland. She asks the nurse why this would be helpful. The nurse will explain that removal of the thymus gland may
a. increase binding of acetylcholine (ACh) molecules to ACh receptors.
b. increase the amount of ACh available at neuromuscular junction sites.
c. reduce the number of acetylcholine receptor sites.
d. reduce the autoimmune destruction of ACh receptor sites.
ANS: D
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder involving an antibody response against a subunit of the ACh receptor site. Since the thymus is involved in systemic immunity, it is thought that removing the thymus can inhibit this process. It does not increase binding of ACh molecules to receptors or increase the amount of ACh or reduce the number of ACh receptor sites.
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