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Motor neurone disease impacts nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscles what to do.

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen gradually and usually affects your walking, talk, consume food and respire.

It is a quite uncommon disease that is most common in people over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted.

An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About 5,000 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 mix of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you get from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

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

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and taking fluids
• 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 a single illness - it is really several that result in the death of nerve cells.

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Although the drug 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 condition and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair harm.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, including 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 life expectancy is only several years.

According to the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of people within a year and over 50% within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the neurons cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople appear overrepresented by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an increased risk of developing the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more prone to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is simply a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

Multiple prominent athletes have been diagnosed with the condition in the past few years.

These include former rugby players, footballers, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.