Nov 10

ALS stalks Italian soccer players

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Dozens of retired Italian professional soccer players have died from motor neuron disease (Lou Gehrig Syndrome). 

The latest to be stricken is Stefano Borgonovo, a 44-year-old former striker for AC Milan. His announcement that he was suffering from motor neurone disease (MND) was made from a wheelchair with a computer-generated voice and has chilled a nation of football fans who are used to considering players as idols rather than martyrs.

Theories range from pesticide used on the fields to heading the ball too much. Alternately, perhaps athletic skill and the disease go together genetically somehow:

an American study had found that a disproportionate number of sufferers had played sports at university level.

 

image thumb31 ALS stalks Italian soccer players
Probably  not good for you

2 Responses to “ALS stalks Italian soccer players”

  1. TR Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    Nothing statistically significant here. Maybe it’s the wine or tomatoes. Heading is more likely to damage the neck causing the later problems upstairs. Any dug up bones give a clue?

  2. My Right Foot » Blog Archive » Big Brain or Thick Skull? Says:
    August 18th, 2010 at 10:46 am

    [...] had (I don’t). The prevailing theory in that case had been that either systematic drug use or pesticides used on Italian Youth Soccer fields had somehow caused ALS to kick in. Now it suggests that maybe [...]