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MND affects nerves located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles what to do.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid over time and usually affects your walking, speak, eat and respire.

This is a quite uncommon condition that is most frequent in people over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.

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

About 5,000 adults in the UK will have the condition at any one time.

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

In as many as one in 10 individuals with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.

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

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most frequent signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism stemming from treatments focused on various types of MND.

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

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of optimism" for the whole disease.

Although the medication has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not currently accessible 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 condition and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair harm.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.

But for most, the illness advances rapidly and survival time is only several years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of identification.

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

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Be Diagnosed?

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

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

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

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

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

It added that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "documented MND cases in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to random chance".

Several high-profile athletes have been diagnosed with the condition in the past few years.

These include former rugby union internationals, footballers, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease at the age of 39.