Parkinson's Disease: Woman Detects The Smell Of Health Problem

Sixty-five-year-old Joy Milne from Scotland was actually able to detect Parkinson's disease in a strange odor coming from her husband, Les.

This chronic and progressive movement disorder affects over one million in the United States, ranging from symptoms that include tremors, slowness of movement, otherwise known as bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and other issues, according to The Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

"His smell changed and it seemed difficult to describe," she said, via BBC News. "It wasn't all of a sudden. It was very subtle - a musky smell. I got an occasional smell."

Milne said she detected the smell of sweat from her husband, which was later believed by medical professionals to be the scent of Parkinson's disease. After she detected the same scent from other patients, she was able to confirm that the musky odor was indeed related to Parkinson's disease.

Les' scent was later verified by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. During the study, they asked six individuals with Parkinson's and six without to wear T-shirt that were later given to Milne to smell.

At first, Milne was able to make the correct diagnosis for 11 out of the 12 T-shirts available. She said she was not able to detect the last shirt because the shirt with the warning scent was actually worn by one of the control group members.

The Edinburgh scientists were able to confirm Milne's assessment of the last shirt eight months later, making her Parkinson's disease detection to be one hundred percent accurate.

Scientists believe that certain changes in the skin of those with early Parkinson's are linked to the beginnings of the condition. In time, they hope to detect a molecular signature responsible for the odor that could one day be developed into a simple test, such as wiping a person's forehead with a swab, researchers say. 

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