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Motor neurone disease affects nerves found in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This causes them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and typically impacts how you walk, speak, consume food and breathe.

This is a relatively rare disease that is most common in individuals over 50, but adults of any age can be impacted.

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

About five thousand people in the UK are living with the condition at any one time.

Scientists are uncertain what causes MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

Typically there is a family history of the disease in such instances.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

Not everyone has the identical signs, or encounters them in the same order.

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Among the most common indicators are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Cure?

There is no cure, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is actually multiple that result in the demise of nerve cells.

An innovative medication known as tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even reverse - some of the manifestations of MND.

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

Although the drug has recently been approved 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 advancement of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it cannot repair damage.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.

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

As the neurons cease functioning, swallowing and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople appear disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby players who have experienced repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were more likely to acquire MND, it did not prove the sports directly led to the disease.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to statistical coincidence".

Several prominent athletes have been diagnosed with the disease in recent years.

This encompasses former rugby union players, footballers, and cricket athletes.

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