Understanding MND and Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
MND affects nerves found in the brain and spine, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function.
This leads them to weaken 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 people above age fifty, but grown-ups of any age can be affected.
An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.
Approximately five thousand adults in the UK are living with the disease at any one time.
Researchers are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your mother and father when you are delivered, and other environmental influences.
In as many as 10% of individuals with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.
There is usually a hereditary background of the disease in such instances.
Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition?
MND impacts each person uniquely.
Not everyone has the identical signs, or experiences them in the same order.
The condition can advance at varying rates too.
Some of the most common signs are:
- muscle weakness and cramps
- stiff joints
- difficulties in your speech
- complications involving swallowing, eating and taking fluids
- reduced cough reflex
Is There a Cure?
No definitive treatment, but there is optimism stemming from therapies focused on different forms of MND.
MND is not a single illness - it is really several that result in the demise of motor neurones.
A new drug called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been demonstrated to slow - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the symptoms of MND.
It has been described as "absolutely groundbreaking" and a "significant point of hope" for the whole disease.
Even though the medication has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK.
Just one drug currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS.
Riluzole could decelerate the advancement of the disease and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse damage.
What is Survival Rate for MND?
Certain individuals can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.
But for the majority, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.
According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a third of individuals within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of identification.
As the neurons stop working, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and numerous individuals need nutritional support or respiratory aids to help them stay alive.
Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?
The exact cause has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear overrepresented by MND.
A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 indicated that professional footballers have an increased risk of developing MND.
Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving 400 ex- Scotland rugby union players determined they had an increased risk of acquiring the disease.
Scientists also found that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have biological differences that may make them more prone to contracting MND.
The MND Association acknowledges there is a "correlation" between collision sports and MND.
It noted that while the sportspeople studied were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not show the athletic activities directly led to the disease.
The charity also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a certain elevated chance could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".
Several high-profile sports figures have been identified with the condition in the past few years.
This encompasses former rugby union players, soccer players, and cricketers.
Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease aged 39.
