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MND impacts nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to weaken and stiffen over time and typically impacts how you walk, speak, consume food and breathe.

It is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in individuals over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted.

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

Approximately five thousand people in the UK will have the disease at any one time.

Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you get from your parents when you are born, and additional environmental influences.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.

There is usually a family history of the illness in such instances.

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• complications involving ingesting, eating and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from therapies targeted at different forms of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is actually multiple that result in the death of nerve cells.

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been referred to as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "significant point of hope" for the whole disease.

Although the drug has recently received approval in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.

There is only one pharmaceutical presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse damage.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.

But for most, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the disease kills a third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of identification.

As the neurons stop working, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear overrepresented by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an elevated chance of developing MND.

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow including four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND.

The MND Association recognizes there is a "link" between contact sports and MND.

It noted that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the disease.

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND cases in these studies is still relatively low, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is simply a grouping due to random chance".

Several prominent sports figures have been identified with the disease in the past few years.

These include former rugby players, footballers, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease at the age of 39.