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MND affects nerves found in the brain and spine, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and typically impacts your walking, speak, eat and breathe.

It is a relatively rare disease that is most common in people above age fifty, but adults 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 given moment.

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

In as many as one in 10 individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

There is usually a family history of the illness in such instances.

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The disease can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• problems with how you speak
• complications involving swallowing, consuming food and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is hope stemming from treatments focused on different forms of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is actually multiple that culminate in the death of motor neurones.

A new drug known as tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in certain instances even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.

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

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

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

Riluzole may slow down the progression of the disease and increase survival by several months, but it cannot repair harm.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

Some people can survive for decades with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the neurons stop working, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Be Diagnosed?

The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including four hundred former Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby players who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to contracting MND.

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

It added that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the condition.

The charity also stresses 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 random chance".

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

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

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