Understanding Motor Neurone Disease and Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed?
MND affects nerves found in the brain and spine, which tell your muscles what to do.
This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts how you walk, speak, eat and respire.
It is a relatively rare disease that is most frequent in individuals above age fifty, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.
An individual's lifetime risk of developing MND is 1 out of 300.
About 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.
Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is probable to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors.
In as many as one in 10 people with MND, specific genes are far more significant.
Typically there is a hereditary background of the illness in these cases.
What are the Early Symptoms of the Condition?
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
- difficulties in how you speak
- issues with swallowing, eating and taking fluids
- weakened coughing
Does There Exist a Treatment?
There is no cure, but there is hope coming from treatments targeted at various types of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is actually multiple that culminate in the demise of nerve cells.
A new drug called tofersen works in only one in 50 patients, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in certain instances even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.
It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "real moment of hope" for the whole disease.
Even though the drug has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.
Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.
Riluzole may slow down the progression of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair harm.
What is Survival Rate for MND?
Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76.
But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is only several years.
According to the charity MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a third of individuals within a twelve months and more than half within two years of identification.
As the nerve cells cease functioning, swallowing and breathing become more challenging and many people need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them remain living.
Do Sports Professionals At Greater Risk to Receive a Diagnosis?
The precise reason has not been identified, but elite athletes appear disproportionately affected by MND.
Two studies from 2005 and 2009 indicated that soccer players have an increased risk of contracting MND.
Research from 2022 by the University of Glasgow including 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an increased risk of developing the condition.
Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND.
The MND Association recognizes there is a "link" between collision sports and MND.
It noted that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly caused the disease.
The charity also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so determining there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is simply a grouping due to statistical coincidence".
Several high-profile athletes have been identified with the disease in recent years.
This encompasses former rugby union internationals, footballers, and cricketers.
In the United States, MLB athlete Lou Gehrig died from the condition aged 39.
