A woman smelled her husband's Parkinson's 12 years before symptoms arrived. She has now helped develop a new test
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "A woman smelled her husband's Parkinson's 12 years before symptoms arrived. She has now helped develop a new test")
A woman smelled her husband's Parkinson's 12 years before symptoms arrived. She has now helped develop a new test Photograph: (Freepik)
Joy Milne knew something was wrong when she noticed a change in the way her husband smelled. Twelve years later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. She has now helped develop a new Parkinson's test because of her “Super Smeller” tag.
A woman who smelled her husband's Parkinson's 12 years before it was diagnosed has helped create a new test to detect the condition. Scientists at the University of Manchester joined hands with her after discovering that a person's sebum can be a crucial biomarker to help identify Parkinson's even before the symptoms appear. The test can detect the disease as early as seven years before it starts showing up. The woman named Joy Milne is also now known as "Super Smeller". Using the mass spectrometry technique, researchers discovered that sebum, the oil that is secreted and covers our face, carries distinctive Parkinson’s markers. This provided a breakthrough moment and helped them develop a non-invasive swab test. Being able to predict Parkinson's years in advance can help manage the condition better, even before the symptoms arrive. Also Read: What makes a person PSYCHOPATH? Scientists reveal the problem with their brain
Warning sign for Parkinson's
Researchers from the University of Manchester collaborated with Salford Royal NHS Trust and the University of Innsbruck for the test. They took skin swabs from three groups of people - those with Parkinson’s, healthy volunteers, and people with a sleep disorder called isolated REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (iRBD), which is considered a warning sign for Parkinson's. They analysed these samples and found distinct chemical profiles present in their sebum of people with iRBD that were different from healthy individuals. However, they were comparatively milder than those who had already had Parkinson's. This proved that Parkinson’s disease starts leaving a trace on the body that can be detected even before physical symptoms appear, the researchers said. Also Read: 'Our sleeping brains...': Too many bad dreams? You might be ageing faster than others
Milne smelled Parkinson's 12 years before symptoms emerged
Milne knew something was wrong with her husband when he started giving out a distinct odour. She previously told the BBC that it was a “musty, rather unpleasant smell” that mostly came from around his shoulders and the back of his neck. Even his skin started showing signs of a change. However, at that time, she did not know what it could be. After Les was diagnosed with Parkinson's, he joined a support group. There, Joy met others who gave out a similar smell. This is when she realised that his body had started giving out signals years ago, and that the smell was an indicator of Parkinson's. Also Read: Scientists stumbled upon four pitch-black eggs 20,000 feet below ocean. They turned out to be...
Milne came in handy while deciphering which swabs carried hints of Parkinson's. She was able to distinguish between swabs from people with iRBD and Parkinson’s patients. Milne also detected both diseases in two iRBD individuals, who were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The study was conducted on more than 80 people, 46 of whom had Parkinson’s, 28 of whom were healthy and nine with iRBD. At least 55 significant features were found in the sebum.
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