What is MND and Do Sportspeople More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

MND impacts nerves found in the brain and spinal cord, which tell your muscle tissue how to function.

This causes them to weaken and stiffen gradually and usually affects your walking, speak, eat and breathe.

This is a relatively rare condition that is most common in people over 50, but adults of any age can be affected.

An individual's chance in their life of developing MND is 1 out of 300.

About 5,000 people in the UK are living with the condition at any given moment.

Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genetic material - or biological traits - you inherit from your mother and father when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

In as many as 10% of people with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role.

Typically there is a hereditary background of the illness in such instances.

Identifying the First Signs of the Disease?

MND affects everyone differently.

Not everyone has the identical signs, or encounters them in the same order.

The disease can advance at different speeds too.

Among the most common indicators are:

• muscle weakness and cramps
• stiff joints
• difficulties in how you speak
• issues with swallowing, eating and drinking
• reduced cough reflex

Does There Exist a Treatment?

No definitive treatment, but there is hope stemming from therapies targeted at various types of MND.

MND is not one disease - it is actually multiple that culminate in the death of nerve cells.

A new drug known as tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - some of the manifestations of MND.

It has been referred to as "truly remarkable" 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 currently accessible in the UK.

Just one drug presently approved for the management of MND in the UK and endorsed by the NHS.

Riluzole may slow down the advancement of the condition and increase survival by a few months, but it cannot repair damage.

What is Life Expectancy for MND?

Some people can live for many years with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the twenty-two years old and lived to 76.

But for most, the disease progresses quickly and survival time is just a few years.

Based on the charity MND Association, the condition claims the lives of a one-third of people within a twelve months and over 50% within two years of identification.

As the neurons cease functioning, swallowing and breathing become increasingly difficult and numerous individuals need feeding tubes or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive.

Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis?

The exact cause has not yet been found, but top-level sportspeople appear disproportionately affected by MND.

Two studies from 2005 and 2009 showed that professional footballers have an elevated chance of contracting MND.

A 2022 study by the Glasgow University involving 400 former Scotland rugby union players concluded they had an increased risk of developing the condition.

Scientists also found that rugby athletes who have experienced repeated head injuries have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to developing MND.

The MND Association recognizes there is a "correlation" between contact sports and MND.

It added that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not show the sports directly caused the condition.

The charity also stresses that "reported MND instances in these studies is remains quite small, and so concluding there is a definite increased risk could be misinterpreted if this is merely a cluster due to random chance".

Multiple prominent sports figures have been identified with the condition in recent years.

These include former rugby internationals, footballers, and cricket athletes.

Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the disease aged 39.