A Scottish woman detects Parkinson’s disease on her husband thanks to his sense of smell

in collaboration with

Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)

A “musky”, “different” smell: this is how Joy Milne noticed that something was wrong with her husband. Twelve years later, his illness was confirmed. Although her husband is now deceased, this discovery allowed science to develop an amazing skin test.

A “musky aroma”

At first, no one believed her. Inevitably, detecting Parkinson’s disease through odors seems suspicious.

However, scientists have been forced to believe in the exceptional sense of smell of Joy Milne – a Scottish woman now 72 years old – following tests, brilliantly recorded.

The latter consisted of a recognition of odors. Subjects, sick and healthy, had to wear T-shirts, which Joy Milne had to classify.

Results ? According to the English newspaper The Telegraph, it is faultless, but the retiree decides to classify a patient – a priori in good health – in the group of the sick. Eight months later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The researchers eventually understand that it is molecules – detected in the sebum of sick subjects – which are in question. They would quite simply modify the smell of the lipid film.

A new “olfactory” screening test

Today, thanks to the various tests carried out with Joy Milne, scientists at the University of Manchester have been able to develop a promising new screening test.

This is a skin test, which allows – once in contact with the skin of the neck – to make the diagnosis of the disease.

However, the results of these initial laboratory tests still need to be confirmed before considering the marketing of this new screening tool.

The results of this study were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on September 7, 2022, and relayed by the Telegraph.