Symptoms of motor neurone disease (MND) muscle aches, cramps, twitching. clumsiness, stumbling. weakness or changes in hands, arms, legs and voice. slurred speech, swallowing or chewing difficulty.
In about two-thirds of people with MND, the first symptoms are in the arm or leg. This is sometimes called limb-onset disease. The symptoms include: a weakened grip, which can cause problems picking up or holding objects.
MND is not a common disease. It affects adults and sometimes younger adults. You are likely to be more than 40 years old at diagnosis, and most people with MND are aged between 50 and 70. Men are affected almost twice as often as women, but this varies.
There is no single diagnostic test for MND. Diagnosis is based on features in the clinical history and examination, usually accompanied by electrophysiological tests, which will include EMG and nerve conduction studies. Other tests may include: MRI scanning of the brain and spinal cord.
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.
There is no blood test to diagnose MND.
What is the life expectancy of someone with motor neurone disease? A person with MND will usually die between two to three years after diagnosis, but this can vary from person to person. Some people live many years after their diagnosis.
An MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan) produces detailed pictures of the brain and spinal cord using strong magnetic fields and radio waves. The scan cannot confirm whether you have MND but it can help doctors rule out other conditions which could potentially be causing your symptoms.
There is a 1 in 300 risk of getting MND across a lifetime. It can affect adults of any age, but is more likely to affect people over 50.
Fatigue is common with MND. Factors that may lead to fatigue include immobility, overexertion, sleep disruption, pain, weakened breathing, stress, anxiety, smoking, alcohol and some medications. Symptoms of fatigue include slower speech and movement, shortness of breath and lack of interest in daily planning.
Understanding Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neuron Disease
These muscles are responsible for performing movements under one's will and thus, motor neuron diseases affect one's ability to perform voluntary movements. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the central nervous system.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a condition that affects motor neurons and large areas of the brain, so ocular movements may be affected.
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.
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.
Living With a Motor Neuron Disease
Some are milder and progress more slowly than others. Although there is no cure for motor neuron diseases, medicines and therapy can ease symptoms and improve your quality of life.
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.
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.
Most cases occur spontaneously though some are hereditary (about 10%). MND is uncommon but not rare. Recent statistics estimate there are over 2,000 people in Australia currently diagnosed with MND and every day 2 Australians are diagnosed with MND. The average age of onset is 50.
Some people with MND will experience changes in thinking, reasoning and behaviour. For many people the changes will be subtle and have little or no effect on daily life, but a small number of people will develop frontotemporal dementia and need additional support.
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.
Parkinsonian syndromes can occur in motor neuron diseases (MND), accompanying upper (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) signs (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS-parkinsonism), UMN signs alone (primary lateral sclerosis, PLS-parkinsonism) and, less often, LMN signs alone (Qureshi et al., 1996; Sudo et al., 2002; ...