What is MND and Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?
Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function.
This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts how you walk, speak, eat and respire.
It is a quite uncommon disease that is most frequent in individuals over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted.
A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300.
About 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.
Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and other environmental influences.
For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.
Typically there is a family history of the disease in such instances.
What are the First Signs of the Disease?
MND affects everyone differently.
Not all individuals has the same symptoms, or experiences them in the identical sequence.
The disease can advance at different speeds too.
Among the most common signs are:
- muscle weakness and muscle spasms
- rigid articulations
- problems with how you speak
- issues with ingesting, eating and drinking
- weakened coughing
Is There a Cure?
There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from therapies focused on different forms of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is actually several that culminate in the death of motor neurones.
An innovative medication known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even reverse - some of the symptoms of MND.
It has been referred to as "absolutely groundbreaking" 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.
There is only one pharmaceutical presently approved for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.
Riluzole may slow down the advancement of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.
What is Survival Rate for MND?
Some people can live for many years with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.
But for most, the illness progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.
According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of individuals within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.
As the neurons stop working, ingestion and breathing become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.
Do Sports Professionals At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?
The exact cause has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople seem overrepresented by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of developing MND.
A 2022 study by the Glasgow University including 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.
Researchers additionally discovered that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render 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 more likely to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly caused the disease.
The organization also emphasises that "documented MND instances in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".
Several prominent sports figures have been diagnosed with the disease in recent years.
This encompasses former rugby union players, footballers, and cricket athletes.
Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition at the age of 39.
