Elite rugby players show 15 times higher motor neurone disease risk
Research shows elite contact sport athletes face 4.5 to around 15 times higher MND risk, though scientists have not proven causation.
Former Wallaby Nathan Charles has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Charles experienced symptoms for about eight months.
Charles's diagnosis follows those of rugby league star Jai Arrow and Australian rules football player Geoff Ablett, who died of the disease, raising questions about whether contact sport affects the brain long-term.
Motor neurone disease damages nerve cells that control movement, progressively paralyzing most sufferers within two to five years. A Scottish rugby study found elite players were around 15 times more likely to develop MND than men of similar age in the general population.
Studies of former NFL players found athletes were 4.5 times more likely to die of MND. However, scientists have not proven that contact causes MND, only that an association exists.
About 2,800 Australians live with MND at any given time. There is no cure, though medications and therapy teams work to slow progression.
- September 13
- Charles diagnosis date
- About eight months
- Symptom duration
- Four Tests in 2014
- Wallabies Tests
- About 2,800 at any given time
- Australians with MND
Why it mattersThe pattern raises important questions about whether the brain damage from contact sport creates long-term health risks for athletes.
AustraliaPuts spotlight on safety in Australian contact sports as prominent athletes are diagnosed with this serious, incurable disease.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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