One in 300 people are at risk of the illness in their lifetime – here is our guide on what causes it and the future hopes for treatment. It’s the diagnosis that everyone dreads. Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive and, as yet, incurable illness that results in gradual paralysis and death, almost certainly within one to five years.
It causes the degeneration of nerve cells, known as motor neurones, which run from the spinal cord to the brain, controlling muscle movement. The most famous sufferer was probably the late Prof Stephen Hawking , who was a highly unusual case as he lived for 55 years with the disease. With one in 300 people at risk of MND in their lifetime, what causes it and what are the future hopes for treatment? Is ALS the same as MND? The term MND encompasses a range of neurological conditions, including ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which is the most severe.
ALS affects both the upper motor neurones that travel from the brain to the spinal cord and the lower motor neurones, which branch out to the various muscle groups around the body. Primary lateral sclerosis, where patients experience growing weakness in their muscle movement, is not quite as debilitating as the muscles do not waste away, and patients can live for up to 20 years. Pseudobulbar palsy and progressive bulbar palsy can affect the tongue, facial movements and speech.
In both cases, the life expectancy depends heavily on whether the disease progresses to full-blown ALS. What are.
