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MND affects nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscles how to function.

This causes them to weaken and stiffen gradually and usually affects your walking, speak, eat and breathe.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most common in people above age fifty, but grown-ups of any age can be impacted.

A person's chance in their life of developing MND is one in 300.

Approximately 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the condition at any one time.

Researchers are uncertain the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are born, and additional environmental influences.

For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

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

What are the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and drinking
• weakened coughing

Is There a Cure?

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

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

A new drug called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in certain instances even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

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

Even though the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

Just one drug presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

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

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

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

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

According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within two years of identification.

As the neurons stop working, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Do Sports Professionals More Likely 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 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of developing MND.

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more susceptible to contracting MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople studied were more likely to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the condition.

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

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

This encompasses former rugby internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition aged 39.