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MND affects nerves located in the brain and spinal cord, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid gradually and typically impacts your walking, talk, consume food and breathe.

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

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

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

Researchers are uncertain the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

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

There is usually a hereditary background of the disease in such instances.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

No cure, but there is hope stemming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is really several that result in the death of motor neurones.

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "real moment of hope" for the whole disease.

Although the medication has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the disease and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse damage.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

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

But for most, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is only several years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the condition kills a third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within two years of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and breathing become more challenging and numerous individuals need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

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

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of developing MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more prone to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly caused the condition.

The organization also emphasises that "reported MND instances in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to statistical coincidence".

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

These include ex- rugby union internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition at the age of 39.