🔗 Share this article Understanding Motor Neurone Disease and Do Sportspeople More Likely to Receive a Diagnosis? MND affects nerve cells found in the cerebrum and spine, that instruct your muscles what to do. This leads them to weaken and stiffen over time and typically impacts your walking, speak, consume food and respire. It is a relatively rare disease that is most frequent in people above age fifty, but grown-ups of all ages can be affected. A person's lifetime risk of contracting MND is one in 300. About 5,000 adults in the UK are living with the condition at any one time. Researchers are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a mix of the genes - or inherited characteristics - you inherit from your parents when you are born, and other environmental influences. In as many as one in 10 people with MND, particular genetic factors are far more significant. Typically there is a family history of the illness in these cases. What are the First Signs of the Disease? MND affects everyone differently. Not everyone has the same symptoms, or encounters them in the identical sequence. The condition can progress at varying rates too. Some of the most common signs are: loss of muscle strength and muscle spasms stiff joints problems with how you speak complications involving ingesting, consuming food and drinking weakened coughing Is There a Treatment? No definitive treatment, but there is optimism stemming from treatments targeted at various types of MND. MND is not a single illness - it is really multiple that culminate in the death of motor neurones. A new drug called tofersen is effective in just 2% of individuals, however it has been shown to slow - and in certain instances even undo - some of the manifestations of MND. It has been described as "truly remarkable" and a "significant point of optimism" for the whole disease. Even though the medication has recently been approved in the European Union, it is not yet available in the UK. There is only one pharmaceutical currently licensed for the treatment of MND in the UK and approved by the NHS. Riluzole could decelerate the progression of the condition and prolong life by a few months, but it does not reverse harm. Determining Survival Rate for MND? Some people can survive for decades with MND, such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, who was identified at the twenty-two years old and survived until 76. But for most, the illness progresses quickly and life expectancy is only several years. According to the non-profit MND Association, the disease kills a one-third of people within a twelve months and more than half within 24 months of diagnosis. As the nerve cells stop working, ingestion and respiration become increasingly difficult and many people need nutritional support or breathing apparatus to help them remain living. Are Athletes More Likely to Be Diagnosed? The precise reason has not yet been found, but elite athletes appear overrepresented by MND. A pair of research projects from 2005 and 2009 showed that soccer players have an elevated chance of contracting MND. A 2022 study by the University of Glasgow involving four hundred former Scotland rugby athletes concluded they had an increased risk of developing the disease. Scientists additionally discovered that rugby athletes who have suffered multiple concussions have physiological variations that could render them more susceptible to contracting MND. The MND Association recognizes there is a "correlation" between contact sports and MND. It noted that while the athletes researched were had a greater chance to develop MND, it did not prove the athletic activities directly caused the disease. The charity also stresses that "documented 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 statistical coincidence". Several prominent sports figures have been identified with the disease in the past few years. These include ex- rugby players, soccer players, and cricket athletes. Across the Atlantic, baseball player Lou Gehrig died from the condition aged 39.