🔗 Share this article

MND impacts nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, talk, consume food and breathe.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in people over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted.

An individual's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300.

Approximately 5,000 adults in the UK will have 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 born, and other lifestyle factors.

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

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

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Cure?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.

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

A new drug known as tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

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

Although the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

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

Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse harm.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

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

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

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion 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 Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople seem disproportionately affected by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an increased risk of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an increased risk of developing the condition.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were more likely to develop MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly caused the condition.

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

Several high-profile sports figures have been diagnosed with the condition in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, footballers, and cricketers.

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