Understanding MND and Do Sportspeople More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
MND affects nerve cells found in the brain and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles how to function.
This leads them to lose strength and stiffen gradually and usually affects how you walk, speak, eat and respire.
This is a relatively rare condition that is most frequent in people over 50, but grown-ups of all ages can be impacted.
A person's chance in their life of developing MND is one in 300.
About 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.
Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.
For up to one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.
Typically there is a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.
Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?
MND impacts each person uniquely.
Not everyone has the same symptoms, or encounters them in the same order.
The condition can progress at varying rates too.
Among the most common signs are:
- loss of muscle strength and cramps
- rigid articulations
- problems with how you speak
- issues with swallowing, consuming food and drinking
- reduced cough reflex
Does There Exist a Treatment?
No definitive treatment, but there is optimism coming from therapies focused on different forms of MND.
MND is not one disease - it is actually multiple that result in the demise of nerve cells.
An innovative medication called tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even reverse - some of the symptoms of MND.
It has been referred to as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "significant point of hope" for the entire condition.
Although the medication has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.
There is only one pharmaceutical presently approved for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.
Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair harm.
Determining Survival Rate for MND?
Some people can survive for decades with MND, including theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.
But for the majority, the illness progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.
Based on the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of people within a year and more than half within 24 months of identification.
As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus 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 overrepresented by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an increased risk of contracting MND.
Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the condition.
Scientists also found that rugby players who have suffered repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more prone to developing MND.
The MND Association acknowledges there is a "correlation" between collision sports and MND.
It added that while the sportspeople researched were more likely to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the disease.
The charity also stresses that "reported MND cases in these studies is still relatively low, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".
Multiple high-profile athletes have been diagnosed with the disease in the past few years.
These include ex- rugby union internationals, soccer players, and cricketers.
In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.
