What is MND and Do Sportspeople At Higher Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?
MND affects nerves found in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles what to do.
This causes them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and usually affects your walking, speak, consume food and breathe.
It is a quite uncommon condition that is most common in people above age fifty, but adults of any age can be impacted.
A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300.
About five thousand people in the UK will have the disease at any given moment.
Researchers are uncertain what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.
For up to one in 10 individuals 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 affects everyone differently.
Not all individuals has the identical signs, or experiences them in the identical sequence.
The disease can progress at different speeds too.
Among the most common signs are:
- loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms
- rigid articulations
- problems with how you speak
- issues with swallowing, eating and taking fluids
- reduced cough reflex
Does There Exist a Cure?
There is no cure, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is actually several that result in the demise of motor neurones.
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 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 currently accessible in the UK.
Just one drug currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.
Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse damage.
Determining Survival Rate for MND?
Certain individuals 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 progresses quickly and life expectancy is only several years.
Based on the non-profit MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a one-third of people within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of identification.
As the neurons cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them remain living.
Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.
A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an elevated chance of developing MND.
A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.
Researchers also found that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND.
The MND Association recognizes there is a "link" between collision sports and MND.
It noted that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly caused the disease.
The organization also emphasises that "reported MND cases in these studies is still relatively low, 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 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 disease at the age of 39.