Parkinson's Disease Detected by Woman Through Sense of Smell; Can Odor Also Identify Cancer, Diabetes?

A new test to detect Parkinson's disease has been developed through the help of a woman who, according to recent reports, can smell the disease itself.

According to an Independent report, "the test has been years in the making" after academics realized Perth, Scottland-based Joy Milne, who has a heightened sense of smell, could detect the condition.

After a few years, academics at the University of Manchester have made a breakthrough by developing a test that can determine people who have Parkinson's disease through the use of a simple cotton bud run through the back of the neck.

Researchers are using the specimen to detect molecules associated with Parkinson's disease to help in the diagnosis if an individual has the disease.

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(Photo : Pexels/Anna Shvets)
A woman who can smell Parkinson’s Disease says her sense of smell is both a curse and a benefit.

New Skin Swab for Rapid Diagnosis

While still in the initial stages of the study, scientists are enthusiastic about the prospect of the National Health Service being able to deploy a simple test.

At present, there is no definitive test for Parkinson's, with a diagnosis based on the symptoms and medical history of a patient.

If this new skin swab is successful outside laboratory conditions, it could be rolled out to achieve a more rapid diagnosis.

Milne explained, that "it was not acceptable" that individuals with Parkinson's had such high levels of neurological impairment by the time they get diagnosed.

She added she thinks it needs to be detected far earlier, the same as diabetes and cancer, earlier diagnosis would mean far more efficient treatment and an enhanced lifestyle for people.

Investigating the Link Between Odor and Parkinson's

The woman said her husband, a former doctor, was determined to look for the right researcher, for instance, the association between odor and Parkinson's and thigh sought out the University of Edinburgh's Dr.

Tilo Kunath in 2012. Dr, Kunnath teamed up with Professor Perdita Barran to examine the sense of smell of Milne.

Scientists believed the scent may result from a chemical change in skin oil called sebum, which is stimulated by the disease.

In their initial study, the team asked Milne to smell shirts worn by people with Parkinson's disease, and those who did not.

Smelling the Disease

The woman identified the shirts worn by Parkinson's patients correctly, although she also said that one from the group of people who don't have Parkinson's smelled like the disease, eight months after that person was diagnosed with the disease.

The tests have been successfully performed in labs and now, researchers are examining if they can be in hospitals and eventually, by general practitioners.

The findings published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describe how serum can be examined with "mass spectrometry," an approach that is weighing molecules to detect disease. Some of the molecules are present in people suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The study investigators compared swabs from 79 individuals with Parkinson's disease with a healthy control group comprising 71 people.

'Curse and Benefit'

Milne, who has a rare condition that's giving her an increased sense of smell, is currently working with scientists worldwide to find out if she can smell other diseases like tuberculosis or cancer.

The woman described her sense of smell though, as a "curse and a benefit," a similar BBC News said in a related report. She explained, that she has to go shopping very early or very late "because of people's perfumes," and she cannot go into the supermarket's chemical aisle.

At the moment, Prof. Barran said, there are no cures for Parkinson's disease, although a confirmatory diagnosis would enable them to get the right treatment, not to mention, get the drugs that will help in alleviating the symptoms.

Moreover, there would be non-pharmaceutical interventions which include movement and nutritional classes as well, which can definitely help.

Related information about the woman who can smell Parkinson's Disease is shown on  This Morning's YouTube video below:

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