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Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This leads them to weaken and become rigid gradually and typically impacts your walking, talk, eat and breathe.

This is a relatively rare disease that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but adults of all ages can be affected.

An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

Approximately 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

Researchers are uncertain what causes MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are delivered, and additional environmental influences.

For up to 10% of individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

There is usually a family history of the illness in such instances.

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

Not all individuals has the identical signs, or encounters them in the same order.

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• complications involving swallowing, eating and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No cure, but there is optimism stemming from treatments focused on different forms of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is actually several that culminate in the death of motor neurones.

A new drug known as tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.

It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of optimism" for the entire condition.

Although the drug has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

Just one pharmaceutical presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the disease and increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse damage.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for most, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is only several years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of people within a twelve months and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an elevated chance of developing MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including four hundred former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.

Scientists also found that rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more prone to developing MND.

The MND Association recognizes there is a "correlation" between contact sports and MND.

It added that while the sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the sports directly led to the disease.

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is simply a cluster due to random chance".

Several prominent athletes have been identified with the disease in recent years.

These include ex- rugby players, footballers, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.