Understanding MND and Do Sportspeople At Higher Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?

Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles how to function.

This leads them to weaken and stiffen over time and usually affects how you walk, talk, eat and respire.

It is a relatively rare disease that is most frequent in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.

A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300.

About five thousand people in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

Researchers are uncertain the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your mother and father when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

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

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

What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

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

The condition can advance at varying rates too.

Among the most common signs are:

• muscle weakness and muscle spasms
• rigid articulations
• problems with your speech
• complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Is There a Treatment?

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

MND is not a single illness - it is really multiple that result in the demise of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even reverse - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Even though the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.

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

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

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

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

But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.

According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells stop working, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them remain living.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople appear overrepresented by MND.

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

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

Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that could render them more prone to developing MND.

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

It added that while the athletes studied were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly led to the condition.

The charity also stresses that "documented MND instances in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to statistical coincidence".

Multiple high-profile sports figures have been identified with the disease in recent years.

These include former rugby players, footballers, and cricketers.

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