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MND impacts nerves found in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen over time and usually affects your walking, talk, eat and respire.

It is a quite uncommon disease that is most common in individuals over 50, but adults of any age can be affected.

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

Approximately 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any one time.

Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are born, and additional lifestyle factors.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

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

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not all individuals has the identical signs, or encounters them in the identical sequence.

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• problems with how you speak
• issues with swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Is There a Cure?

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

MND is not one disease - it is actually several that culminate in the death of nerve cells.

An innovative medication called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even reverse - some of the manifestations of MND.

It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of hope" for the entire condition.

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

There is only one drug presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

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

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, including renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is only several years.

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

As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Do Sports Professionals At Greater Risk to Be Diagnosed?

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

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

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the condition.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more prone to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the sports directly caused the disease.

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

Several prominent sports figures have been identified with the disease in recent years.

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

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition aged 39.