What is Motor Neurone Disease and Do Sportspeople More Likely to Be Diagnosed?
Motor neurone disease impacts nerves found in the cerebrum and spinal cord, that instruct your muscle tissue what to do.
This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts how you walk, speak, eat and respire.
This is a quite uncommon disease that is most common in individuals over 50, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.
A person's lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300.
About 5,000 people in the UK will have the disease at any one time.
Researchers are not sure the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you get from your mother and father when you are born, and additional lifestyle factors.
For up to 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.
There is usually a family history of the illness in these cases.
What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?
MND impacts each person uniquely.
Not all individuals has the same symptoms, or experiences them in the identical sequence.
The disease can progress at varying rates too.
Some of the most common indicators are:
- loss of muscle strength and cramps
- rigid articulations
- problems with your speech
- issues with swallowing, eating and taking fluids
- weakened coughing
Is There a Cure?
There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.
MND is not one disease - it is really multiple that culminate in the death of nerve cells.
A new drug called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the manifestations of MND.
It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of hope" for the whole disease.
Even though the drug has recently received approval in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.
Just one drug currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.
Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and increase survival by several months, but it does not reverse harm.
What is Survival Rate for MND?
Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.
But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.
Based on the charity MND Association, the disease kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of identification.
As the neurons stop working, swallowing and breathing become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them remain living.
Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes seem disproportionately affected by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an elevated chance of developing MND.
Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the condition.
Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that could render them more prone to developing MND.
The MND Association acknowledges there is a "correlation" between collision sports and MND.
It noted that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly led to the condition.
The organization also emphasises that "documented MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is simply a cluster due to statistical coincidence".
Several high-profile sports figures have been identified with the disease in the past few years.
This encompasses former rugby union internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.
Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.
