Understanding Motor Neurone Disease and Do Sportspeople More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
MND affects nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, which tell your muscles what to do.
This leads them to lose strength and become rigid gradually and typically impacts how you walk, talk, eat and breathe.
It is a relatively rare disease that is most frequent in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected.
An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.
Approximately five thousand people in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.
Researchers are uncertain 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 other lifestyle factors.
In as many as one in 10 individuals with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant.
Typically there is a family history of the illness in such instances.
What are the Early Symptoms of the Disease?
MND affects everyone differently.
Not all individuals has the same symptoms, or encounters them in the identical sequence.
The condition can advance at varying rates too.
Among the most frequent signs are:
- muscle weakness and cramps
- rigid articulations
- problems with how you speak
- issues with swallowing, consuming food and taking fluids
- reduced cough reflex
Does There Exist a Cure?
There is no definitive treatment, but there is hope coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is really several that result in the demise of nerve cells.
A new drug called tofersen works in only one in 50 individuals, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in certain instances even undo - some of the symptoms of MND.
It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "real moment of optimism" for the whole disease.
Even though the medication has recently received approval in the EU, it is not yet available in the UK.
Just one drug currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.
Riluzole may slow down the advancement of the disease and prolong life by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.
Determining Survival Rate 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 most, the illness advances rapidly and life expectancy is just a few years.
According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of individuals within a year and over 50% within two years of identification.
As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them remain living.
Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
The precise reason has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople appear disproportionately affected by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of developing MND.
Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the condition.
Scientists additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have biological differences that could render them more prone to contracting MND.
The MND Association recognizes there is a "link" between collision sports and MND.
It added that while the athletes researched were more likely to acquire MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly led to the disease.
The charity also emphasises that "documented MND instances in these studies is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to statistical coincidence".
Multiple prominent sports figures have been diagnosed with the disease in the past few years.
These include ex- rugby players, footballers, and cricketers.
Across the Atlantic, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition at the age of 39.
