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

This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and usually affects your walking, talk, consume food and respire.

It is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in people above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be impacted.

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

Approximately 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.

Scientists are uncertain what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you get from your parents when you are born, and other environmental influences.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

Typically there is a family history of the disease in these cases.

What are the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not all individuals 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 muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• problems with your speech
• complications involving ingesting, eating and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Cure?

No definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from therapies focused on various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

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

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

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the illness progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the condition kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of identification.

As the neurons cease functioning, swallowing and breathing become more challenging and numerous individuals need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Be Diagnosed?

The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more prone to developing 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 acquire 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 concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".

Several high-profile athletes have been diagnosed with the disease in the past few years.

This encompasses former rugby union internationals, soccer players, and cricketers.

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