Inspired by a Scottish woman who smelled Parkinson's disease, scientists developed a swab test that could be used to diagnose the condition.
It is stated that with the test developed by researchers in Manchester, Parkinson's disease can be detected in three minutes.
However, more studies are needed before a test that can be used in clinics or family medicine can be performed.
The developed test is based on the experiences of Joy Milne, a 72-year-old retired nurse living in the city of Perth.
Milne had observed a number of changes in her husband's smell 12 years before Les was officially diagnosed with Parkinson's.
"I started to have an unpleasant odor, especially around his shoulders and on the back of his neck. His skin was also changing a lot," she said.
Joy Milne established the link between the change in her husband's odor and Parkinson's disease after her husband was diagnosed and heard the same smell in other Parkinson's patients.
Scientists from the University of Manchester working with Milne say they can detect whether people have Parkinson's with a simple swab test with 95 percent accuracy in laboratory conditions.
The study is based on analyzing the secretion of sebum, or sebaceous glands, aimed at protecting the skin.
By collecting sebum samples from the backs of patients with a cotton swab, the researchers compared 79 people with Parkinson's to a control group of 71 people.
Professor Perdita Barran, who led the research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, says that there is still no chemical test for the diagnosis of Parkinson's, and thousands of patients are in the neurological examination queue for diagnosis.
Barran states that the use of a test that can diagnose Parkinson's by family physicians will be a groundbreaking development.
"We have now developed a test in research laboratory conditions and we are trying to deliver this test to colleagues working in analytical laboratories in hospitals so we can see how the test performs within the healthcare system," says Professor Barran.
Parkinson's is one of the fastest spreading neurological diseases worldwide.
According to the figures of the Parkinson's Association in England, the disease is seen in approximately 145 thousand people in the country.
There is no definitive treatment for Parkinson's disease or a test to diagnose the disease.
The disease causes difficulties in walking, speaking, and tremors in the limbs.
https://news.sky.com/story/woman-who-can-smell-parkinsons-helps-scientists-come-up-with-breakthrough-diagnostic-test-12691717