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MND impacts nerves located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscles what to do.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and typically impacts how you walk, talk, consume food and breathe.

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

A person's lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300.

About five thousand people in the UK are living with the disease at any given moment.

Researchers are uncertain the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genes - or biological traits - you inherit from your parents when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.

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

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most common indicators are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

There is no cure, but there is optimism stemming from treatments focused on various types of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is really several that result in the death of motor neurones.

A new drug called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in certain instances even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.

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

Even though the medication has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

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

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 age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the illness advances rapidly and survival time is only several years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a third of individuals within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion and breathing become more challenging and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes appear overrepresented by MND.

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

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the condition.

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

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

It added that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the condition.

The charity also emphasises that "reported MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is simply a cluster due to random chance".

Several prominent sports figures have been diagnosed with the condition in the past few years.

This encompasses former rugby internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.