Understanding MND and Do Sportspeople At Higher Risk to Be Diagnosed?
MND affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.
This causes them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and usually affects how you walk, talk, consume food and breathe.
This is a relatively rare condition that is most common in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.
An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300.
Approximately 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any one time.
Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.
For up to 10% of individuals with MND, specific genes play a much larger role.
There is usually a family history of the illness in such instances.
Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Disease?
MND impacts each person uniquely.
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:
- muscle weakness and cramps
- rigid articulations
- problems with your speech
- issues with ingesting, consuming food and drinking
- reduced cough reflex
Is There 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 death of nerve cells.
An innovative medication 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 referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of hope" for the whole disease.
Although the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.
There is only one drug currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.
Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse harm.
What is Life Expectancy for MND?
Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the age of 22 and survived until 76.
But for the majority, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is only several years.
According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within two years of diagnosis.
As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.
Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Be Diagnosed?
The precise reason has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople seem disproportionately affected by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an elevated chance of contracting MND.
Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving 400 former Scotland rugby athletes determined they had an increased risk of acquiring the disease.
Researchers also found that rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more prone to contracting MND.
The MND Association recognizes there is a "link" between contact sports and MND.
It added that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the disease.
The organization also stresses that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is merely a grouping due to random chance".
Multiple high-profile sports figures have been identified with the condition in the past few years.
These include ex- rugby players, soccer players, and cricketers.
Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition at the age of 39.
