🔗 Share this article What is MND and Do Sportspeople At Higher Risk to Receive a Diagnosis? Motor neurone disease affects nerves found in the brain and spine, that instruct your muscle tissue how to function. This causes them to lose strength and become rigid over time and typically impacts your walking, talk, eat and respire. It is a relatively rare condition that is most common in individuals over 50, but adults of all ages can be impacted. A person's lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300. Approximately 5,000 people in the UK will have the disease at any given moment. Scientists are not sure the cause of MND, but it is probable to be a combination of the genetic material - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are delivered, and additional lifestyle factors. In as many as 10% of individuals with MND, particular genetic factors play a much larger role. Typically there is a hereditary background of the disease in these cases. What are the First Signs of the Disease? MND impacts each person uniquely. Not everyone has the identical signs, or encounters them in the identical sequence. The disease can advance at varying rates too. Among the most frequent indicators are: loss of muscle strength and cramps rigid articulations difficulties in your speech issues with swallowing, consuming food and taking fluids weakened coughing Is There a Cure? No cure, but there is optimism coming from therapies targeted at different forms of MND. MND is not one disease - it is really several that result in the demise of nerve cells. An innovative medication called tofersen works in just 2% of patients, however it has been shown to decelerate - and in some cases even undo - a portion of the manifestations of MND. It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "real moment of optimism" for the entire condition. Although the medication has recently received approval in the EU, it is not currently accessible in the UK. Just one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the management of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS. Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the disease and prolong life by several months, but it does not reverse damage. Determining Survival Rate for MND? Some people can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed at the age of 22 and lived to 76. But for most, the disease progresses quickly and life expectancy is just a few years. According to the non-profit MND Association, the condition kills a one-third of individuals within a twelve months and over 50% within 24 months of diagnosis. As the nerve cells cease functioning, ingestion and respiration become more challenging and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them stay alive. Are Athletes More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis? The exact cause has not been identified, but top-level sportspeople seem overrepresented by MND. A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an increased risk of contracting MND. Research from 2022 by the Glasgow University involving 400 former Scotland rugby union players determined they had an higher likelihood of developing the disease. Researchers additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions 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 added that while the sportspeople researched were had a greater chance to acquire MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly led to the condition. The charity also emphasises that "reported MND cases in these studies is still relatively low, and so concluding 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. These include ex- rugby internationals, soccer players, and cricketers. Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to the condition aged 39.