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Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles what to do.

This leads them to weaken and stiffen gradually and usually affects how you walk, talk, eat and respire.

It is a quite uncommon condition that is most common in individuals over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be impacted.

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

Approximately five thousand people in the UK will have the disease at any given moment.

Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or biological traits - you get from your mother and father when you are born, and other environmental influences.

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

Typically there is a family history of the illness in these cases.

Identifying the First Signs of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most common indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No cure, but there is hope coming from therapies focused on various types of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is really multiple that culminate in the death of motor neurones.

An innovative medication 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 optimism" for the whole disease.

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

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

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

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

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

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

Based on the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of people within a year and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the neurons cease functioning, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them remain living.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving 400 former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

The MND Association recognizes 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 caused the disease.

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

Several high-profile sports figures have been identified with the disease in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.