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Motor neurone disease impacts nerves located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscles what to do.

This leads them to lose strength and stiffen over time and usually affects your walking, talk, consume food and breathe.

It is a quite uncommon condition that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but adults of all ages can be affected.

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

Approximately five thousand people in the UK are living with the disease at any one time.

Researchers are not sure the cause of 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 delivered, and other lifestyle factors.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

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

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• difficulties in how you speak
• issues with ingesting, eating and drinking
• weakened coughing

Does There Exist a Treatment?

There is no cure, but there is hope stemming from therapies focused on 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 called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in certain instances even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Although the drug has recently been approved in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.

There is only one pharmaceutical presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the advancement of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse harm.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

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

But for most, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is just a few years.

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a third of individuals within a year and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the neurons stop working, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

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

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an increased risk of contracting MND.

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an increased risk of acquiring the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

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

The organization also stresses that "reported MND cases in these studies is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".

Several prominent sports figures have been identified with the condition in the past few years.

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.