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Motor neurone disease affects nerves located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles what to do.

This leads them to lose strength and stiffen over time and usually affects your walking, talk, eat and respire.

It is a quite uncommon disease that is most common in individuals over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be impacted.

An individual's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 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 genes - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.

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

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

Identifying the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The disease can progress at different speeds too.

Some of the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• rigid articulations
• difficulties in how you speak
• issues with ingesting, eating and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Cure?

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

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

A new drug called tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of optimism" for the whole disease.

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

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

Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the disease and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can survive for decades with MND, including renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the age of 22 and survived until 76.

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

Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of people within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.

As the neurons stop working, swallowing and respiration become more challenging and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.

Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The precise reason has not been identified, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including 400 former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an increased risk of developing the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It added that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly led to the disease.

The charity also stresses that "documented MND cases in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".

Multiple prominent sports figures have been identified with the condition in the past few years.

These include ex- rugby union internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition aged 39.