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MND impacts nerve cells located in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This leads them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and usually affects your walking, speak, consume food and respire.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most common in people over 50, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.

An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About 5,000 adults in the UK will have the disease at any given moment.

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

For up to 10% of individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

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

Identifying the First Signs of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can advance at different speeds too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• complications involving ingesting, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No cure, but there is optimism coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is actually several that result in the death of motor neurones.

An innovative medication known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "real moment of optimism" for the entire condition.

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

Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

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

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

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

But for the majority, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is only several years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

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

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

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

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

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving four hundred former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Researchers also found that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that could render them more prone to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the athletes studied were more likely to develop MND, it did not show 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 misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to statistical coincidence".

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

These include former rugby players, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease at the age of 39.