British Woman Can Sniff Parkinson’s Disease

STATES CHRONICLE – A woman from Great Britain has an unusual ability which can be of great use to doctors and researchers. After her husband got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she learned how to sniff the condition, helping researchers identify 10 molecules which are responsible with it. By being aware of this information, they can perform a first diagnostic test.

The woman could detect a change in her husband’s smell before developing Parkinson’s

Joy Milne, aged 67, had a husband who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and died in 2015. However, six years before he received a diagnosis and before exhibiting any movement difficulty, she discovered a fain difference in his odor. This attracted the attention of researchers, who decided to run a few tests.

By having Mrs. Milne undergo a few assessments, they discovered she could sniff Parkinson’s disease. By smelling the skin of different people, she could tell who had the disease and who was healthy just by the odor they released. She even discovered a person who still didn’t have symptoms, but then ended up developing the disease.

She is able to sniff the molecules associated with the disease

The researchers continued the study, and discovered 10 molecules which were more prevalent in the skin of the people with Parkinson’s. This is of huge importance, as a mere analysis can detect the disease in its early stages, even before the apparition of symptoms. Therefore, researchers are extremely grateful to Mrs. Milne and her incredible ability to sniff the disease.

Parkinson’s is one of the most debilitating diseases, as people who develop it quickly become unable to speak or move. What makes it even worse is the fact that, when symptoms appear, a big part of the nerve cells have already been damaged. Therefore, such a preliminary test is a huge achievement, as it might help researchers ease the symptoms and maybe develop possible treatments.
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