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Motor neurone disease impacts nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscle tissue what to do.

This leads them to weaken and become rigid over time and usually affects your walking, speak, consume food and breathe.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in people above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.

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

About 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any one time.

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

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

Typically there is a hereditary background of the disease in these cases.

What are the First Signs of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The disease can progress at varying rates too.

Among the most frequent indicators are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• issues with ingesting, consuming food and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Cure?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.

MND is not a single illness - it is really several that result in the demise of motor neurones.

An innovative medication called tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in certain instances even reverse - some of the symptoms of MND.

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

Although the drug has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

There is only one drug presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.

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

What is Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist 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.

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

As the nerve cells stop working, swallowing and breathing become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Do Sports Professionals At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes appear overrepresented by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an increased risk of developing MND.

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an increased risk of acquiring the disease.

Scientists additionally discovered that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

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

The organization also stresses that "reported MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is simply a cluster due to random chance".

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

This encompasses ex- rugby internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition aged 39.