The average age for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis is around 59 to 60 years old, with most cases occurring between the ages of 50 and 70, though it can affect adults at any age, with risk increasing with age. While peak onset is often in the 50s and 60s, younger people can be diagnosed, with cases in those under 30 being rare.
MND does not occur in epidemics, it is not infectious and it does not appear to be caused by any other disease. It is more common in men than women. Most people experience the onset of symptoms after the age of 40 years and MND is most common in people aged between 50 and 70 years.
Based on the GBD 2021, between 2013 and 2021, the crude prevalence rate of MND increased slightly from 11 to 13 per 100,000 population – the increase remained after adjusting for different population age structures over time (8.7 to 9.0 per 100,000 population).
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.
Symptoms of motor neurone disease (MND)
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. However, recent discovery of genes associated with MND has raised the possibility of future gene therapy.
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.
The latency from symptom onset to diagnosis in MND documented in the literature has shown little improvement or change over the last 40 years and figures range from 10.6–17.5 months3–13.
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), English theoretical physicist. Mo Hayder (1962–2021), British author. Toshiko Hayashi (1940–2022), Japanese politician. Tony Hendra (1941–2021), British comedian and actor.
Former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher AO has been named as the 2025 Australian of the Year, for his work advocating for a cure for motor neurone disease (MND) since his diagnosis more than a decade ago.
What can I earn as a Neurologist? The average annual salary for Neurologist jobs in Australia ranges from $205,000 to $215,000.
Dementia has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death across Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). There were more than 17,500 deaths from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, in 2024 — making it the cause of 9.4 per cent of deaths nationwide.
Professor Hawking lived with motor neurone disease for 55 years having been diagnosed at the age of 21 while at university, a story told in the 2015 Oscar winning film The Theory of Everything.
Some of the more common conditions that can mimic MND include:
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').
An MRI scan will not diagnose MND, because the damage caused by MND does not show up on this scan. It is a tool for eliminating other conditions that can mimic symptoms of MND.
Some people had first noticed weakness or stiffness in their arms or hands. Sometimes this was accompanied by aching or cramps. (MND is generally not a painful condition, but muscle stiffness can be uncomfortable at times).
Research shows that riluzole can slow down the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and progressive bulbar palsy (PBP), the most common types of MND. Recent research suggests that taking riluzole may prolong life by 6 to 19 months.
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.
Early signs of ALS often involve painless muscle weakness, such as tripping or dropping things, along with muscle twitching (fasciculations), cramping, and stiffness (spasticity), commonly starting in limbs but sometimes affecting speech (slurring) or swallowing (choking). Other early indicators include significant fatigue, poor balance, or even uncontrollable laughing/crying (pseudobulbar affect). These symptoms usually begin subtly in one area and spread, affecting daily activities before becoming severe.
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.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield have previously published work which suggested that there was a link between extreme exercise (more than 6 hours of strenuous exercise or more than 12 hours of any leisure-time exercise per week) and the risk of developing MND .
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.
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 ]. Thus far, it can be confirmed that stress significantly affects the prevalence of MND.