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

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen over time and typically impacts your walking, talk, consume food and breathe.

This is a quite uncommon disease that is most common in people over 50, but adults of all ages can be affected.

A person's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any one time.

Researchers are uncertain what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

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

There is usually a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not everyone has the identical signs, or encounters them in the identical sequence.

The disease can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Is There a Cure?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is hope stemming from therapies targeted at different forms of MND.

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

A new drug called tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been referred to as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "real moment of optimism" for the entire condition.

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

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

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the disease and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

Determining Survival Rate 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 illness progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a third of people within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the neurons stop working, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople appear overrepresented by MND.

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an elevated chance of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving four hundred former Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople researched were more likely to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly caused the disease.

The organization also stresses that "documented MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".

Multiple high-profile athletes have been identified with the disease in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby union players, soccer players, and cricketers.

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