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Motor neurone disease impacts nerves located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscles what to do.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid over time and usually affects how you walk, talk, eat and respire.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in individuals over 50, but grown-ups 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 will have the disease at any one time.

Scientists are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

For up to one in 10 individuals with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

Typically there is a family history of the disease in such instances.

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

Not everyone has the identical signs, or encounters them in the identical sequence.

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Some of the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• issues with swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from treatments focused on various types of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is really several that result in the death of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of optimism" for the whole disease.

Although the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair damage.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the illness advances rapidly and survival time is just a few years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells cease functioning, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes seem overrepresented by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes studied were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".

Several prominent athletes have been identified with the condition in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.