Understanding MND and Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?
MND impacts nerve cells located in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles what to do.
This leads them to weaken and stiffen over time and typically impacts how you walk, speak, eat and breathe.
This is a relatively rare disease that is most common in people above age fifty, but adults of any age can be affected.
A person's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.
About 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any given moment.
Scientists are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or biological traits - you get from your mother and father when you are born, and additional environmental influences.
In as many as one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.
Typically there is a family history of the illness in such instances.
Identifying the First Signs of the Condition?
MND impacts each person uniquely.
Not all individuals has the identical signs, or encounters them in the same order.
The condition can advance at varying rates too.
Among the most frequent signs are:
- muscle weakness and muscle spasms
- stiff joints
- difficulties in your speech
- issues with swallowing, eating and drinking
- weakened coughing
Does There Exist a Treatment?
No definitive treatment, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at different forms of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is really multiple that culminate in the death of motor neurones.
An innovative medication called tofersen works in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in certain instances even reverse - some of the symptoms of MND.
It has been referred to as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "significant point of optimism" for the whole disease.
Although the drug has recently been approved in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK.
There is only one drug currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.
Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it does not reverse harm.
What is Survival Rate for MND?
Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the age of 22 and lived to 76.
But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years.
Based on the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis.
As the nerve cells stop working, swallowing and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them remain living.
Are Athletes At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?
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 elevated chance of developing MND.
A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving 400 ex- Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of acquiring the disease.
Researchers also found that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to contracting MND.
The MND Association acknowledges there is a "link" between collision sports and MND.
It added that while the athletes studied were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the condition.
The organization also stresses that "reported MND cases in this research is still relatively low, and so determining there is a certain elevated chance could be misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to statistical coincidence".
Several high-profile sports figures have been identified with the condition in the past few years.
This encompasses former rugby players, soccer players, and cricket athletes.
In the United States, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease at the age of 39.
