Hi. Autoimmunity is complex and it's hard to know exactly why people get it. Some genes have been determined to be more common in some people with MG. But someone can have a "gene" of a disease and never get it too.
Having said that, I am very aware of the effect of pesticides on MG. I did a lot of research last year when our neighbors decided to "illegally" fog our Park with them. I knew about the dangers of them before but wanted to know exactly what was up with that crap in relation to MG. Some people I know spray them as liberally as some people do perfume.
One thing many pesticides do, especially organophosphates, is to get rid of the enzyme called acetylcholinesterase in the body. That enzymes job is to mop up after acetylcholine once it's done its job. So what you have then is an over abundance of acetylcholine.
As we've talked about before, caffeine does this same thing. As do the nightshade foods (tomato, potato, eggplant, peppers, etc.).
So if, on the 4th of July, you spray for weeds, have potato salad, a coke and then coffee, plus some Mestinon, you are going to be having a cholinergic crisis from too much acetylcholine!
Another thing that those chemicals do, again especially organophosphates, is to destroy the neuromuscular junction, just like MG does. There could be people who are born with a "destroyed" or minimized neuromuscular junction because parents had one. Meaning they may not have MG but a genetic destruction of that area.
Here are a couple articles on this. There are lots of them if you choose to go do some research on your own. You can look up pesticide toxicity or organophosphate toxicity. Or acetylcholine pesticide, etc.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7...7249--,00.html
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4047030
My entire family on both sides came from farms but this was before they started using chemicals. They couldn't afford chemicals back then! However, that doesn't mean that farms around them didn't use them.
Also, there are still places around the country who do spraying for bugs from airplanes. Especially for mosquitoes to get rid of West Nile Virus, which I think is dangerous and ridiculous. Having individuals take care of themselves is far more effective, like it is with the flu.
For a doctor to say something so unscientific like having an alcoholic or abusive parent causes MG is borderline unethical. Stress can bring on illness but not those specific problems! We don't need to add shame and guilt to the already difficult nature of disease.
Annie