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MND affects nerve cells located in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, eat and breathe.

It is a quite uncommon condition that is most frequent in individuals above age fifty, but adults of any age can be impacted.

A person's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About five thousand people in the UK are living with the disease at any one time.

Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genes - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are born, and additional environmental influences.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, specific genes are far more significant.

Typically there is a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not everyone has the same symptoms, or experiences them in the same order.

The condition can progress at different speeds too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Is There a Cure?

No definitive treatment, but there is hope stemming from treatments focused on different forms of MND.

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

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the manifestations of MND.

It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "significant point of hope" for the entire condition.

Although the medication has recently received approval in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

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

Riluzole may slow down the advancement of the disease and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair harm.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for most, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is only several years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of individuals within a year and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, swallowing and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them remain living.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

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

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an elevated chance of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of developing the disease.

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND.

The MND Association acknowledges there is a "link" between collision sports and MND.

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

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND cases in these studies is remains quite small, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

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

These include ex- rugby union players, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition aged 39.