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MND affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscles how to function.

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

It is a relatively rare condition 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 will have the disease at any one time.

Researchers are uncertain what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are born, and additional lifestyle factors.

For up to 10% of individuals with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.

There is usually a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.

What are the First Signs of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

Not all individuals has the same symptoms, or encounters them in the identical sequence.

The disease can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Is There a Treatment?

There is no cure, but there is hope coming from therapies focused on various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in only one in 50 patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

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

Although the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.

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

Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair harm.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, including renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the age of 22 and lived to 76.

But for most, the disease advances rapidly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and breathing become more challenging and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

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

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

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an increased risk of developing the disease.

Scientists also found that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that could render them more prone to developing MND.

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

It added that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities 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 misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to random chance".

Multiple prominent sports figures have been identified with the disease in recent years.

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

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition at the age of 39.