The odds of getting Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in your lifetime are roughly 1 in 300, meaning it's an uncommon condition, though the risk increases with age, typically affecting people over 50, with slightly more men than women diagnosed. While most cases happen randomly, genetics and environmental factors (like strenuous exercise or military service) may slightly elevate risk in some individuals, but the exact causes remain unknown.
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%.
MND is also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. Approximately 2,750 people in Australia are living with this disease at any time. The condition most commonly affects people in their mid-to-late-50s and early 60s, and survival is typically two-five years from the onset of symptoms.
The first signs of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) often involve muscle weakness, leading to stumbling, a weak grip, or difficulty lifting objects, but can also start with speech/swallowing issues (slurring, choking) or muscle twitching (fasciculations) and cramps. These symptoms are usually mild and painless initially, varying by where the motor neurons are first affected, but often include fatigue and affect limbs or speech/swallowing muscles.
Adults of any age can get motor neurone disease (MND), but it usually affects people over the age of 50.
Researchers at Durham University also found rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more prone to developing MND. The MND Association acknowledges there is a "correlation" between contact sports and MND.
There is currently nothing you can do to prevent MND.
The exact cause of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is unknown, but it's believed to result from a complex mix of genetic predisposition, environmental factors (like toxins or intense exercise), and lifestyle influences, with most cases being sporadic (no known cause) and only 5-10% being familial (inherited). Researchers are exploring potential triggers such as genetic mutations (like C9orf72, SOD1), heavy metals, pesticides, viruses, and issues with cellular waste disposal or nerve signaling.
In 1963, while a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, Hawking began experiencing early symptoms of ALS, such as muscle weakness and slurred speech. These initial manifestations rapidly progressed, leading to a diagnosis that came with a grim prognosis—2 years to live.
Research has shown that MND is more common in people over 50. However, around half of people with MND are diagnosed under the age of 60. MND affects people from every country and ethnicity in the world.
Australia's top three causes of death consistently include Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), Ischaemic Heart Disease, and Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases (like COPD), though their exact ranking can shift, with dementia often leading for women and heart disease for men, but the overall gap narrowing significantly, according to recent ABS data.
Progression of symptoms over time provides evidence to support the diagnosis. Many of the people we talked to had been experiencing symptoms for months or even years before finally getting a diagnosis.
The first signs of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often involve vision problems (like blurred or double vision, pain with eye movement), sensory changes (numbness, tingling, pins and needles), and balance issues (dizziness, unsteadiness). Other common early symptoms include overwhelming fatigue, muscle weakness, stiffness, spasms, cognitive difficulties (memory/concentration), and bladder/bowel problems, though symptoms vary greatly from person to person.
Several meta-analyses have underscored the correlation between MND and stress caused by trauma, particularly head trauma. However, a clear causal relationship between the two has not been definitively established [ 28 , 29 ].
Some of the more common conditions that can mimic MND include:
It is now thought that six environmental 'triggers' combine over a lifetime to cause MND in some people. In about 10% of cases, inherited gene mutations cause the condition. This is called familial MND. Some environmental triggers (two to four) are still required to trigger the onset of familial MND.
Stephen Hawking's "last warnings" focused on humanity's existential risks, urging us to become a multi-planetary species to survive threats like climate change, asteroids, and rogue artificial intelligence (AI). He warned that unchecked AI could surpass human intelligence, potentially replacing us, and emphasized the need to colonize other planets before Earth becomes uninhabitable due to self-inflicted or natural disasters, as detailed in his posthumous book Brief Answers to the Big Questions.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. This results in the wasting away of muscle, loss of movement, and eventual paralysis. The disease is 100% fatal, with most people living 3-5 years after diagnosis.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can mimic ALS, particularly in its presentation of weakness, numbness, and balance problems. Both conditions can affect the nervous system and lead to muscle weakness and neurological symptoms.
Background: Neurodegenerative effects of illicit drugs have been proposed in many investigations. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal motor neuron disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, but the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis among drug abusers is unknown.
Traumatic brain injury linked to higher short-term risk of MND, UK-wide study finds. A new UK-wide study has found that people who experience a traumatic brain injury may face a higher short-term risk of developing MND.
Extreme exercise in males was found to be linked to gene changes which mean this pathway may not work correctly, so this protection may not be possible. More research is needed to look further into how and why extreme exercise might increase the risk of developing MND in men.
Five significant signs your brain might be in trouble include memory loss (especially recent events), difficulty with familiar tasks or language, confusion about time/place, significant personality/behavior changes, and problems with judgment, focus, or coordinating movement, often indicating conditions like dementia, brain injury, or other neurological issues, requiring a doctor's visit.
It is known that men develop MND more frequently than women and that the disease seems to occur earlier in life in men than women, but the reasons behind this remain unclear. .
The final stages of MND will usually involve gradual weakening of the breathing muscles and increasing sleepiness. This is usually the cause of death, either because of an infection or because the muscles stop working. Specialist palliative care supports quality of life through symptom control.