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MND impacts nerve cells found in the brain and spine, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and usually affects how you walk, speak, eat and respire.

This is a relatively rare disease that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.

An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300.

About 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

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 mother and father when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

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

What are the First Signs of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• issues with ingesting, eating and drinking
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Treatment?

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

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

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of optimism" for the whole disease.

Even though the drug has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

There is only one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

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 advances rapidly and survival time is only several years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of people within a twelve months and more than half within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople appear disproportionately affected by MND.

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an increased risk of developing MND.

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including 400 former Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the disease.

The organization also stresses that "documented MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to statistical coincidence".

Multiple prominent athletes have been identified with the condition in recent years.

This encompasses ex- rugby union players, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition at the age of 39.