Motor neurone disease is 15 times more likely in former rugby players, research shows.
The shock finding comes after rugby legends Doddie Weir, 52, and Rob Burrow, 40, were diagnosed with the devastating condition caused by the death of the nerves that carry messages from the brain to people’s muscles. It affects their ability to move, talk and breathe. Most die within two years of being diagnosed.
Leading neurologist Dr Willy Stewart, at Glasgow University, found the risk of any neurodegenerative disease was more than double for former international rugby union players. Former Scottish internationals were at just over twice the risk of developing dementia and three times at risk of Parkinson’s.
