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MND impacts nerves found in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, consume food and respire.

It is a quite uncommon condition that is most frequent in people over 50, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.

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

Approximately five thousand adults in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

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

In as many as one in 10 individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

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

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not everyone has the same symptoms, or encounters them in the same order.

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• issues with swallowing, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from therapies targeted at various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the manifestations of MND.

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

Although the drug 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 approved by the NHS.

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

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the age of 22 and lived to 76.

But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

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

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

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow including 400 former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Scientists 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 added that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the disease.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".

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

These include ex- rugby union internationals, footballers, and cricketers.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition at the age of 39.