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Motor neurone disease impacts nerves found in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This leads them to weaken and stiffen gradually and usually affects how you walk, talk, consume food and breathe.

This is a relatively rare disease that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but adults of all ages can be impacted.

An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

Approximately 5,000 adults in the UK will have the disease at any one time.

Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are delivered, and other environmental influences.

In as many as 10% of individuals with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

There is usually 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 experiences them in the identical sequence.

The condition can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• problems with your speech
• issues with ingesting, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Is There a Cure?

There is no cure, but there is optimism coming from therapies targeted at various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in certain instances even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

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

Although the medication has recently received approval 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 may slow down the progression of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it does not reverse harm.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

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

But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of people within a year and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the neurons cease functioning, swallowing and breathing become more challenging and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.

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

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

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more prone to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes studied were more likely to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the disease.

The charity also emphasises that "reported MND cases in these studies is remains quite small, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is simply a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

Multiple high-profile athletes have been diagnosed with the disease in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, footballers, and cricketers.

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