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Motor neurone disease impacts nerve cells found in the brain and spine, which tell your muscle tissue what to do.

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen gradually and typically impacts how you walk, speak, consume food and respire.

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

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

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

Scientists are uncertain what causes MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are born, and other environmental influences.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.

There is usually a hereditary background of the illness in these cases.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most common indicators are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• difficulties in your speech
• issues with swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Cure?

No cure, but there is optimism coming from treatments focused on different forms of MND.

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

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Even though the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

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

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse damage.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, including renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

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

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of people within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.

As the nerve cells stop working, swallowing and breathing become more challenging and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem overrepresented by MND.

A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an elevated chance of developing MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more prone to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly caused the disease.

The charity also emphasises that "reported MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is simply a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

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

These include ex- rugby internationals, footballers, and cricketers.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition at the age of 39.