There is no cure for MND, but a medication has now been approved in Australia for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, including progressive bulbar palsy) - the most common form of MND.
A cure for the genetic forms of MND is close, probably 3 years away, and we are hoping for a cure for the sporadic form (90% of patients) within the decade.”
There are treatments that can help people with MND, but there is no cure. It can reduce life expectancy significantly and eventually leads to death. The condition gradually worsens over time, and things like moving around, swallowing, and breathing become more difficult.
There's no cure for motor neurone disease, but treatment can help reduce the impact the symptoms have on your life. You'll be cared for by a team of specialists and a GP. Treatments include: highly specialised clinics, typically involving a specialist nurse and occupational therapy to help make everyday tasks easier.
A new drug, called Amantadine Hydrochloride, was added to the trial in April 2023. New drugs will be selected for investigation in MND-SMART based on continuous review of constantly updated scientific evidence as well as findings from state-of-the-art human stem cell based drug discovery platforms.
Spontaneous remission of non-symptomatic MND is extremely rare.
Nutrients. There is some evidence that motor neurones become more likely to develop MND because of a lack of nutrients. One form of such nutrients is a group of chemicals called 'neurotrophic factors' (meaning 'nerve nourishing factors').
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, whose ALS was diagnosed in 1963, had the disease for 55 years, the longest recorded time one had the disease. He died at the age of 76 in 2018.
Life expectancy after diagnosis is one to five years, with 10 per cent of people with MND living 10 years or more. The needs of people with MND are complex and vary from person to person.
Typically, the longer you live, the more likely you are to develop the condition. If you have a parent with MND with no other family history of the disease, you're at a slight increased risk of MND of about 1.4%. The risk to the general population of MND is about 0.3%.
Although the use of stem cells as a treatment for MND may eventually be possible, the general perception among scientists and clinicians is that research in this area is not yet sufficiently well advanced.
Generally, MND is believed to be caused because of a combination of environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors. Most cases of MND develop without an obvious cause. Around 1 in 10 cases are 'familial', meaning the condition is inherited. This is due to a genetic mutation, or an error in the gene.
Certain dietary factors, such as higher intake of antioxidants and vitamin E, have been shown, at least in some studies, to decrease the risk of MND. Interestingly, increased physical fitness and lower body mass index (BMI) have been shown to be associated with a higher risk of MND.
Many of the people we talked to had been experiencing symptoms for months or even years before finally getting a diagnosis. Some lived with their symptoms for a long time before deciding to go to their GP, perhaps putting them down to stress, old age, or injury. (See 'First symptoms of MND').
Is MND painful? Motor neurones do not transmit or modify pain signals, so the disease itself is not inherently painful. 2 However, pain may be experienced as the disease progresses. Pain may occur at any stage of MND, including early on, with no relationship between pain intensity and length of time since diagnosis.
Motor neurone disease (MND) affects around 5,000 people in the UK every year. There is currently no cure. An international clinical trial led by Professor Dame Pamela J Shaw in the UK has been shown to slow down progression of a type of motor neurone disease and could be a turning point for patient care.
The usual cause of death is respiratory failure, often associated with infection. There are now two drugs licensed for MND – riluzole, which has been shown to slow the progression in some patients,3 and edaravone, which has been shown to help certain patient groups and is licensed in the United States.
Inherited MND affects up to 1 in 10 people with MND and means they probably have a family history of the disease. Where this is the case, it is impossible to predict when or if a family history means MND will happen. Other triggers may still be needed for the disease to begin.
Symptoms. The different types of MND cause similar symptoms and have three stages: early, middle, and advanced. The diseases progress at different speeds and vary in severity.
People with MND have particularly complex care and support needs in the final stages of life. Because MND can be rapidly progressive, it is important that people with the condition are offered referral to specialist palliative care services at an appropriate time.
Researchers have hypothesized that vigorous physical activity might increase exposure to environmental toxins, facilitate the transport of toxins to the brain, increase the absorption of toxins, or increase the athlete''''s susceptibility to motor neuron disease through added physical stress.
Intense physical activities and MND
For example, repetitive head injuries from contact sports (e.g. professional soccer or football) may increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative issues, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease and MND.
You are considered at risk with COVID-19 if you have a chronic neurological disease, such as motor neurone disease (MND). New strains of COVID-19: these pass on more easily, but are not thought to cause a higher risk of complications.