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Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscle tissue what to do.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid gradually and typically impacts how you walk, speak, eat and respire.

It is a relatively rare disease that is most frequent in people above age fifty, but adults of any age can be impacted.

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

Approximately 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the disease at any one time.

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

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

There is usually a family history of the disease in these cases.

Identifying the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

There is no cure, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.

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

An innovative medication called tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the manifestations of MND.

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

Even though the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

Just one drug currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it does not reverse harm.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed 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 charity MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of individuals within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.

As the neurons stop working, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support 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.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an elevated chance of contracting MND.

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving 400 former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of developing the disease.

Scientists also found that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It added that while the sportspeople researched were more likely to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the condition.

The charity also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".

Several high-profile sports figures have been diagnosed with the condition in recent years.

These include ex- rugby union internationals, soccer players, and cricketers.

In the United States, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.