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Motor neurone disease impacts nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This leads them to weaken and become rigid over time and usually affects your walking, talk, consume food and respire.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most common in individuals over 50, but adults of any age can be impacted.

An individual's chance in their life of contracting MND is one in 300.

Approximately five thousand adults in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

Scientists are uncertain 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 delivered, and additional environmental influences.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

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 same order.

The disease can advance at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

No definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is really multiple that culminate in the demise of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even reverse - a portion of the manifestations of MND.

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

Even though the medication has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

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

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

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

But for most, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of individuals within a year and over 50% within 24 months of identification.

As the neurons cease functioning, swallowing and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them remain living.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople appear overrepresented by MND.

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

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes studied were more likely to develop MND, it did not prove the sports directly caused the condition.

The charity also stresses that "documented MND cases in these studies is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is merely a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

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

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

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease at the age of 39.