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MND impacts nerves found in the brain and spine, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts how you walk, talk, eat and respire.

It is a relatively rare condition that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.

A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300.

Approximately 5,000 adults 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 combination of the genes - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are born, and additional lifestyle factors.

In as many as 10% of individuals with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

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

Identifying the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• problems with your speech
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

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

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

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even reverse - some of the symptoms of MND.

It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of hope" for the whole disease.

Even though the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

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

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

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for most, the disease advances rapidly and survival time is just a few years.

According to the charity MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a third of people within a year and over 50% within two years of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, swallowing and breathing become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople seem overrepresented by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an elevated chance of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.