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MND affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid over time and usually affects your walking, speak, eat and respire.

It is a relatively rare disease that is most common in people over 50, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.

A person's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About five thousand adults in the UK will have the condition 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 mother and father when you are born, and additional environmental influences.

In as many as one in 10 individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

There is usually a hereditary background of the illness in these cases.

What are the First Signs of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The disease can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• problems with your speech
• issues with swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist 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 result in the death of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in certain instances even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.

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

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

There is only 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 increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse damage.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

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

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

According to the charity MND Association, the disease kills a third of individuals within a year and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion 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 top-level sportspeople appear overrepresented by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an elevated chance of developing MND.

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

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more prone to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were more likely to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "documented MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding 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 the past few years.

This encompasses former rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.