Intense physical activities and MND For example, repetitive head injuries from contact sports (e.g. professional soccer or football) may increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative issues, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease and MND.
This study confirms that in some people, frequent strenuous exercise leads to an increase in the risk of MND. “It is important to stress that we know that most people who undertake vigorous exercise do not develop MND. Sport has a large number of health benefits and most sportsmen and women do not develop MND.
Researchers have hypothesized that vigorous physical activity might increase exposure to environmental toxins, facilitate the transport of toxins to the brain, increase the absorption of toxins, or increase the athlete''''s susceptibility to motor neuron disease through added physical stress.
MR evidence supported a relationship between genetic liability to frequent strenuous leisure-time exercise and ALS. Transcriptomic analysis showed that genes altered in response to acute exercise are enriched with known ALS risk genes.
Typically, the longer you live, the more likely you are to develop the condition. If you have a parent with MND with no other family history of the disease, you're at a slight increased risk of MND of about 1.4%. The risk to the general population of MND is about 0.3%.
Causes of MND
exposure to viruses. exposure to certain toxins and chemicals. genetic factors. inflammation and damage to neurons caused by an immune system response.
Generally, MND is believed to be caused because of a combination of environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors. Most cases of MND develop without an obvious cause. Around 1 in 10 cases are 'familial', meaning the condition is inherited. This is due to a genetic mutation, or an error in the gene.
Conclusions: Our review suggests that increased susceptibility to ALS is significantly and independently associated with 2 factors: professional sports and sports prone to repetitive concussive head and cervical spinal trauma. Their combination resulted in an additive effect, further increasing this association to ALS.
The bottom line, according to Ascherio, is that the connection between intense physical activity and increased risk of ALS is too uncertain to make specific recommendations about whether people should be more or less active to stave off the disease.
Lifestyle causes
Certain dietary factors, such as higher intake of antioxidants and vitamin E, have been shown, at least in some studies, to decrease the risk of MND. Interestingly, increased physical fitness and lower body mass index (BMI) have been shown to be associated with a higher risk of MND.
There is strong evidence that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of motor neurone disease (MND).
There are treatments that can help people with MND, but there is no cure. It can reduce life expectancy significantly and eventually leads to death. The condition gradually worsens over time, and things like moving around, swallowing, and breathing become more difficult.
Because exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to a heightened risk for ALS, particular occupations making liberal use of such chemicals are cited, including construction, paperwork, agriculture, electrical work, medical professions, military service and manufacturing.
Biological sex—Males are slightly more likely to develop ALS. However, as people age the difference between the sexes disappears. Race and ethnicity—Caucasians and non-Hispanics are most likely to develop the disease, but ALS affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
There is no definite method to prevent ALS. However, people with ALS can participate in clinical trials, the National ALS Registry, and the National ALS Biorepository. This participation may help researchers learn about potential causes and risk factors of the disease.
The incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 people, and it is estimated that at least 16,000 Americans may be living with ALS at any given time. About 90 percent of ALS cases occur without family history. The remaining 10 percent of ALS cases are inherited through a mutated gene.
The average age of developing ALS among soccer players was 43 years compared to 63 years for the general population. “It is important to note that repeated traumatic events, heavy physical exercise and substance use could also be factors in the increased ALS risk among soccer players,” said Beghi.
Men are exposed to higher levels of testosterone before birth, and they are also more likely than women to develop ALS. More recently, studies have shown that in both men and women, testosterone is also essential for healthy neurons: it protects them from damage after injury or disease.
Early symptoms can include: weakness in your ankle or leg – you might trip, or find it harder to climb stairs. slurred speech, which may develop into difficulty swallowing some foods. a weak grip – you might drop things, or find it hard to open jars or do up buttons.
A cure for the genetic forms of MND is close, probably 3 years away, and we are hoping for a cure for the sporadic form (90% of patients) within the decade.”
Many of the people we talked to had been experiencing symptoms for months or even years before finally getting a diagnosis. Some lived with their symptoms for a long time before deciding to go to their GP, perhaps putting them down to stress, old age, or injury. (See 'First symptoms of MND').
You are considered at risk with COVID-19 if you have a chronic neurological disease, such as motor neurone disease (MND). New strains of COVID-19: these pass on more easily, but are not thought to cause a higher risk of complications.
MND is not a common disease. It affects adults and sometimes younger adults. You are likely to be more than 40 years old at diagnosis, and most people with MND are aged between 50 and 70. Men are affected almost twice as often as women, but this varies.