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Motor neurone disease affects nerves found in the brain and spine, which tell your muscles how to function.

This causes them to lose strength and stiffen over time and usually affects how you walk, talk, eat and breathe.

It is a relatively rare condition that is most common in people over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.

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

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

Researchers are uncertain the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your mother and father 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 family history of the disease in these cases.

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND affects everyone differently.

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

The condition can progress at varying rates too.

Some of the most frequent signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• stiff joints
• problems with your speech
• issues with swallowing, eating and taking fluids
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

No cure, but there is hope stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.

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

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 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 "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of hope" for the entire condition.

Although the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.

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

Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse damage.

Determining Survival Rate for MND?

Some people can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.

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

Based on the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of people within a year and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the neurons stop working, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them remain living.

Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem overrepresented by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an increased risk of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an increased risk of developing the condition.

Scientists also found that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have biological differences 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 sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the disease.

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

Several high-profile sports figures have been diagnosed with the condition in the past few years.

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

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