Woman who detects Parkinson’s disease by smell

Until very recently, there was no way to detect the disease in its early stages.

We know Parkinson's disease as that physical disability of being able to move and speak normally. One of the main problems with Parkinson's disease is to be able to identify its manifestation.is to be able to identify its manifestation prematurely. It is therefore very positive that a surprising case in Scotland has given researchers some hope.

A woman, Joy Milne, can detect the disease by smell alone.. She discovered this ability with her closest relative, her husband, whom she noticed a change in body odor a few years earlier.

What is Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a disorder that directly affects physical movement in the human body. It is caused by the death or degeneration of some neurons and regions known as substantia nigra. Particularly affected are the regions called basal ganglia, whose function is to ensure the correct control of movements.

Thus, this disease produces negative effects on the physical activity of any person, such as stiffness, tremors, postural instability or slowness of speech.. Seventy-five percent of patients suffering from this disease are over 65 years of age, while the remaining 25% are younger.

The woman who detects Parkinson's by smell

One of the most remarkable dramas of this disorder is its almost impossible its near impossibility of detecting it in time to be able, at least, to avoid its development in the most aggressive phase. Researchers specialized in diseases of this type assure that in 90% of the cases it is impossible to detect any type of symptom until it is already late.

Recently, however, the possibility of being able to prevent the aggressive development of Parkinson's disease has begun to emerge. An ordinary woman, with a normal life but with an excellent sense of smell, Joy Milne, from the city of Perth (Scotland), saw how this fact has meant a tremendous advance in the field of research into the disease.

Her name came to light when the University of Manchester (England), incredulous at such an event, decided to invite her to see to what extent what she was saying was true. Mrs. Milne claimed to have detected nothing less than a whopping 6 years before the definitive the definitive manifestation of Parkinson's in her husband. And this was simply by sniffing a garment before washing it.

The ultimate test for prevention

The team that wanted to carry out the research, also from the University of Perth, proposed to bring together 16 people, half with Parkinson's and the other half 100% healthy. From these individuals, the clothes were taken, both pants, shirts and other accessories.

Joy handled all the garments, sniffed them well, and without thinking too much about it, identified with labels those people who did not have Parkinson's and those who did, she identified with labels those people who did not have Parkinson's and those who did have it.. The result was resounding. He was right in all cases, he made a full score. Years later, he was informed that the garments classified as suspicious confirmed his prediction. The owners ended up developing the disease.

Hopeful results.

"I was skeptical, truth be told. But it has been thanks to Joy that we have made so much progress in this field," assures one of the professors from the University of Manchester, involved in the study. With such a humble and natural technique, it has been possible to detect 10 other molecules that diagnose the presence of Parkinson's disease. before it becomes fully manifest.

In the United Kingdom, 1 in 600 people suffer from Parkinson's disease, totaling approximately 130,000 cases. The trauma left on patients by the impossibility of detecting it, worsens their condition. Many denounce the lack of progress in the last 25 years, and put pressure on the English government to allocate more resources to research, so there is great urgency to find a solution.

However, scientists say that we must be careful with this olfactory technique, as it is by no means, despite its incredible results, the definitive test. For the moment, Joy Milne's case is exceptional, and nowhere else in the world has a similar technique been glimpsed, nor has any other person with the same gift been found.