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Genetics and inheritance

Sporadic ALS/MND

ALS/MND occurring in someone with no family history of it, which is how most diagnoses are described.

What it means

Sporadic means it appeared without an obvious inherited pattern. It does not mean genes play no part. A genetic change is sometimes found in someone described this way, which is one reason testing may be offered whatever the family history.

Why you might hear it

  • It is how most diagnoses are described.
  • It often reassures relatives, though the picture is not always simple.

People who may help

Where Compass goes into this

About this explanation

These are plain explanations of words you may come across, not advice about your own situation. Where a word matters to a decision, the question pages go into it properly, and your own team is the place to take it.