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MND affects nerves found in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This leads them to lose strength and stiffen gradually and usually affects how you walk, speak, eat and breathe.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in individuals over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted.

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

Approximately 5,000 adults in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.

Researchers are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you inherit from your parents when you are delivered, and other lifestyle factors.

In as many as one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

Typically there is a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.

Identifying the First Signs of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Some of the most frequent signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• stiff joints
• problems with how you speak
• issues with ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

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

MND is not one disease - it is really multiple that result in the demise of motor neurones.

A new drug called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Even though the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible 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 advancement of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair harm.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.

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

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

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

Do Sports Professionals 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 contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Scientists also found that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the disease.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is merely a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

Multiple high-profile athletes have been identified with the disease in recent years.

This encompasses former rugby union players, footballers, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease at the age of 39.