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MND impacts nerves located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, eat and breathe.

It is a quite uncommon disease that is most frequent in individuals over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be impacted.

A person's chance in their life of contracting MND is one in 300.

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

Scientists are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you inherit from your parents when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

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

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

What are the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• rigid articulations
• difficulties in your speech
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.

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

Although the drug has recently been approved in the EU, 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 could decelerate the advancement of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can survive for decades with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.

But for most, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of individuals within a year and over 50% within 24 months of diagnosis.

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

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

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

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

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have suffered repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more prone to contracting MND.

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

It added that while the sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the sports directly caused the condition.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND instances in these studies is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to statistical coincidence".

Several high-profile athletes have been identified with the disease in recent years.

These include former rugby union players, footballers, and cricket athletes.

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