“We review only scientific articles and summarize their contents to explain what treatments are available for myasthenia gravis patients who experience breathing difficulties due to weakness of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.”
That's the question I posed to Microsoft's Copilot software and its version of ChatGPT, both pieces of artificial intelligence (AI) software easily accessible on the internet.
Why am I studying this with AI? Frankly, I was frustrated with the disproportionate improvement in my Myasthenia Gravis (MG). I was able to increase my steps to 2,000 a day, I was taking fewer naps, and I was generally feeling better and stronger, except for my breathing.
This summer, I am still feeling the lack of air and needing more support from my BiPAP machine.
What really frustrated me and got me into this limbo was needing a BiPAP machine before a day event because the air was heavy, and it seems like when the air is heavy and humid I always end up lacking air and needing BiPAP support.
Anyway, back to my search. My initial question was, in my opinion, very specific. It offered steroids and non-invasive ventilatory support, which work well and are the usual candidates for treatment. But it also included a new option called diaphragmatic pacing (DP), also known as diaphragmatic pacing or phrenic nerve stimulation. I was intrigued.
Important lessons learned
I had never heard of DP, so I did a bit more research. I discovered that surgeons can implant a pacemaker in the diaphragm, just like in the heart, which stimulates the diaphragm to help with breathing, allowing ventilator-dependent patients to get off the machine. nice!
So we used our AI software to run another search: “Summarize only the scientific literature, determine whether diaphragmatic pacing is safe for patients with myasthenia gravis, and provide sources.”
The synopsis said that this treatment was safe for people like me, and I got a little excited. But before I got my hopes up too much, I read the resources listed in the synopsis.
And here, folks, is where the lesson begins: it turns out DP is not approved for MG, and the constant stimulation of the diaphragm that DP provides is not a suitable replacement therapy for a disease in which muscles become weaker the more they are used.
AI is easily accessible and has great uses, such as combing the internet, finding and extracting specific content from millions of pages online, and spitting out a summary in seconds. The impact of this resource on the healthcare industry is immense.
But this should be used as a starting point, not taken as the answer. AI is still in its early stages, and is still “learning.” Yes, AI learns from the people who use it. You can provide feedback by indicating whether the AI's response was actually helpful or not. But I digress. This is an MG column, not a tech column.
It is important to understand how AI software like Copilot and ChatGPT work, otherwise we who live with MG and other chronic conditions could end up expecting too much and doing more harm than good.
I strongly encourage you to be cautious and skeptical when using this new software. Always add “include source” to your queries so you can go to the source itself and double-check the results. It's important to have information, but it's even more important to know that the information is coming from a trusted source.
A little tech tip: to open a special search window for a particular page or article, use CTRL+F. This is the keyboard shortcut for the “Find” command. Then type the term you want to search for into that box and it will highlight the word you're looking for. Don't forget to use all the iterations and options like “myasthenia gravis,” “mg,” “neuromuscular disease,” etc.
Note: Myasthenia Gravis News is a website that provides news and information about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Opinions expressed in this column are not those of Myasthenia Gravis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to stimulate discussion about issues relating to myasthenia gravis.
