đŸ”— Share this article What is MND and Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis? Motor neurone disease affects nerve cells located in the brain and spinal cord, that instruct your muscles what to do. This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, consume food and breathe. This is a quite uncommon condition that is most common in people over 50, but adults of all ages can be affected. A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is 1 out of 300. About 5,000 people in the UK will have the condition at any one time. Researchers are not sure the cause of MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors. For up to 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant. There is usually a hereditary background of the illness in such instances. Identifying the Early Symptoms of the Condition? MND affects everyone differently. Not everyone has the identical signs, or experiences them in the identical sequence. The disease can advance at different speeds too. Some of the most common signs are: muscle weakness and muscle spasms rigid articulations problems with how you speak complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking weakened coughing Does There Exist a Treatment? No definitive treatment, but there is hope stemming from therapies focused on different forms of MND. MND is not a single illness - it is actually several that result in the death of nerve cells. An innovative medication known as tofersen is effective in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to slow - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the manifestations of MND. It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of optimism" for the entire condition. Even though the medication has recently received approval in the European Union, it is not currently accessible in the UK. There is only one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment 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 cannot repair damage. What is Life Expectancy for MND? Certain individuals can live for many years with MND, such as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76. But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years. Based on the charity MND Association, the disease claims the lives of a one-third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of identification. As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them remain living. Do Sports Professionals More Likely to Be Diagnosed? The exact cause has not been identified, but elite athletes seem overrepresented by MND. A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an increased risk of contracting MND. A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred ex- Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an higher likelihood of acquiring the condition. Scientists also found that rugby players who have experienced multiple concussions have physiological variations that may make them more susceptible to developing MND. The MND Association acknowledges there is a "link" between collision sports and MND. It noted that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the condition. The organization also emphasises that "reported MND instances in this research is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misunderstood if this is merely a grouping due to random chance". Several prominent athletes have been identified with the disease in recent years. These include ex- rugby internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes. Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the disease at the age of 39.