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MND affects nerves located in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to weaken and stiffen gradually and typically impacts how you walk, talk, consume food and respire.

This is a quite uncommon disease that is most frequent in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.

An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

Approximately 5,000 people in the UK will have the disease at any given moment.

Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and other environmental influences.

For up to 10% of individuals with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

There is usually a family history of the illness in these cases.

What are the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not all individuals has the same symptoms, or experiences them in the identical sequence.

The condition can progress at different speeds too.

Some of the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• complications involving swallowing, eating and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Cure?

There is no cure, but there is hope stemming from treatments focused on different forms of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is actually several that culminate in the death of nerve cells.

An innovative medication known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of hope" for the entire condition.

Even though the medication has recently received approval in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.

Just one drug presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair harm.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is only several years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a one-third of people within a year and more than half within two years of identification.

As the neurons stop working, swallowing and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not been identified, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the condition.

Scientists also found that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

The MND Association recognizes there is a "correlation" between collision sports and MND.

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly caused the disease.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND instances in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to random chance".

Multiple high-profile athletes have been identified with the condition in recent years.

These include ex- rugby players, soccer players, and cricketers.

In the United States, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition at the age of 39.