Why it seems like more younger people have MND as ex-England rugby captain shares diagnosis aged 47

Lewis Moody has sadly become the latest sportsman to share his heartbreaking motor neurone disease diagnosis, but why are so many younger people suffering from the health condition?

Moody, who captained the England rugby union side, shared his health update while speaking on BBC News and first noticed an issue after experiencing difficulty with his shoulder in the gym.

At the age of just 47, Moody is incredibly young to be diagnosed with MND, an incurable condition which affects the brain and nerves and likely leads to death, although people can live with it for many years, as we saw with Professor Stephen Hawking.

Moody said: "It's not that I don't understand where it's going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now.

"You're given this diagnosis of MND and we're rightly quite emotional about it, but it's so strange because I feel like nothing's wrong. I don't feel ill. I don't feel unwell.

"My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I'm still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible."

Although most people are diagnosed with MND after the age of 50, there have been a number of notable examples in recent years where younger sportsmen have been given the life-changing and terrifying news.

Moody follows in the footsteps of fellow rugby star Rob Burrow, who sadly died at the age of 41 last year having suffered at the hands of MND.

Rob Burrow sadly died from the disease last year (George Wood/Getty Images)

We've also seen former footballer Stephen Darby diagnosed, while a quick look at the most famous people in the world who are living with MND will show you a long list of footballers, rugby players and American football stars.

While studies are yet to conclusively prove exactly what causes MND, there is an obvious link between professional sportsmen and sportswomen, with research also previously suggesting that this could be down to multiple concussions, which are of course particularly likely in a physical contact sport such as rugby.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association has also spoken openly about the potential link, and suggests that their main focus is discovering a cause for the debilitating condition.

Research has also linked concussions to MND (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The charity writes: "We are also part of an MND and Sport Expert Working Group, which works to explore the potential link between sport and MND.

"The group includes representatives from the MND Association, MND Scotland and My Name’5 Doddie as well as people living with MND, and is in response to a number of scientific publications which indicate there may be an increased risk of developing MND among people who participate in elite-level sport, including football and rugby."

They spoke of their 'frustration' about not having been able to identify 'all of the causes of MND' so far. While saying more research is needed, they added: "A combination of environmental and lifestyle factors likely act together with specific genes to predispose people to get MND. What we don’t know is the exact recipe of these factors that triggers onset of the disease."

If you experience any of the symptoms associated with MND, which include struggles walking, difficulty breathing and an excess of saliva, reach out to your GP for support and if you need any advice regarding MND symptoms specifically you can contact the MND Connect Helpline on 0808 802 6262, available Monday to Friday between 9am - 4pm.