What is MND and Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

MND affects nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spinal cord, which tell your muscles how to function.

This causes them to weaken and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, eat and respire.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in people over 50, but adults of any age can be impacted.

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

Approximately five thousand adults in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.

Scientists are not sure the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you get from your mother and father when you are delivered, and other lifestyle factors.

In as many as one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.

Typically there is a hereditary background of the disease in such instances.

Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?

MND impacts each person uniquely.

Not everyone has the identical signs, or experiences them in the identical sequence.

The disease can advance at varying rates too.

Some of the most frequent indicators are:

• loss of muscle strength and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in your speech
• issues with swallowing, eating and taking fluids
• weakened coughing

Is There a Treatment?

There is no definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from treatments focused on various types of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is actually multiple that result in the death of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen is effective in only one in 50 patients, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.

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

Even though the drug has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not currently accessible in the UK.

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

Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

Determining Life Expectancy for MND?

Some people can survive for decades 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 illness advances rapidly and survival time is just a few years.

According to the charity MND Association, the condition kills a third of individuals within a year and over 50% within two years of diagnosis.

As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.

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

Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease.

Researchers also found that rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.

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

It noted that while the sportspeople researched were more likely to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the condition.

The charity also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".

Multiple prominent sports figures have been identified with the disease in recent years.

This encompasses former rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricket athletes.

In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.