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Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscles how to function.

This causes them to weaken and stiffen gradually and usually affects how you walk, speak, consume food and respire.

It is a quite uncommon condition that is most common in people above age fifty, but adults of all ages can be affected.

An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is one in 300.

About 5,000 adults in the UK will have the condition at any one time.

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

In as many as one in 10 people with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

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 same symptoms, or experiences them in the same order.

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• issues with ingesting, consuming food and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Is There a Treatment?

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

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

A new drug known as tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in certain instances even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

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

Just one drug currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse damage.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is only several years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a third of individuals within a year and more than half within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, 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 exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including four hundred former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes studied were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the sports directly led to the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "documented MND instances in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is simply a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

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

This encompasses former rugby players, footballers, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.