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MND affects nerve cells located in the brain and spine, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This leads them to lose strength and stiffen gradually 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 adults of any age can be affected.

A person's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About five thousand adults in the UK are living with the condition at any one time.

Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and additional environmental influences.

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

Typically there is a family history of the disease in such instances.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can advance at different speeds too.

Some of the most frequent signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• complications involving swallowing, eating and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

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 culminate in the demise of motor neurones.

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases 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 entire condition.

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

Just one pharmaceutical presently approved for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the condition and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair harm.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

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

But for the majority, the disease advances rapidly and life expectancy is just a few years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within two years of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and many people need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Be Diagnosed?

The precise reason has not been identified, but elite athletes seem overrepresented by MND.

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an elevated chance of developing MND.

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.

Researchers also found 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 collision sports and MND.

It added that while the athletes studied were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the disease.

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 athletes have been identified with the condition in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby players, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition at the age of 39.