Motor Neurone Disease

My Father in Law was diagnosed with Motor neurone disease earlier this year which came as a huge shock to our family as the disease is incurable and one which isn’t really ever talked about or brought to anyones attention.

What is Motor Neurone Disease (MND)?

Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones.  It destroys cells that control essential muscle activity such as breathing, walking, swallowing and speaking.  Normally messages from the nerve cells (upper motor neurones) are transmitted to nerve cells in brain stem and spinal cord (lower motor neurones) and from them to particular muscles.  When these signals are disrupted it results in gradual muscle weakening, muscle wasting and muscle twitching.  Eventually the ability to control voluntary movement will be lost.  Progress is relentless and generally rapid with a life expectancy of 6 months to five years from the onset of symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

Early symptoms are generally mild, and include stumbling due to weakness of leg muscles, difficulty holding objects due to weakness of hand muscles and difficulty of speaking and swallowing due to weakness of the tongue and throat muscles. There are four main types of motor disease, which affect those diagnosed in different ways. Though some people experience symptoms from more than one form.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Is the most common form with both the upper and lower motor neurones being affected. This form of disease is characterised by muscle weakening and wasting. The average life expectancy is between 2-5years

Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP)

Is what my FIL was diagnosed with and affects about a quarter of people diagnosed it also involves both upper and lower motor neurones. Symptoms include speech slurring and difficulty swallowing. Life span is between 6 months to 3 years from onset of symptoms

Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA)

Affects only a small portion of those diagnosed and causes main damage to lower motor neurones, early symptoms maybe clumsiness of the hand. Most people live longer than five years

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)

Is the rare form of MND and affects upper motor neurones only causing weakness to the lower limbs and speech problems. Life span could essentially be normal though it could be life limiting
The effect of MND varies enormously in respect of initial symptoms, rate and pattern of progression, and survival time after diagnosis.

Who is at risk of developing MND?

MND is not infectious of contagious.  It can affect any adult at any age, but generally over the age of 40 with the highest incident occurring between the ages of 50 and 70 years old
Men are more likely to be affected than women, with the number of people who are affected by MND each year is 2 out of every 100,000
Children can also be affected by MND particularly in inherited or familial forms of the disease, symptoms can be present at birth or before the child learns to crawl or walk.

Is there a cure?

At present there is no cure for MND though there is continuing research into the disease.

This a members article written by RIN1983