Could the smell of Parkinson's disease be used as an early diagnosis tool?

Scientists are investigating whether the odor of people with Parkinson's disease could cause doctors to diagnose the disease earlier.

It is after a Scottish woman said that she had noticed a subtle change in the smell of her deceased husband before his diagnosis.

Joy Milne, a retired Perth nurse aged 68, described it as a "musky" odor, which could be a tell-tale smell of progressive neurological disease.

A study from the University of Manchester has since been set up in 2015 to test his theory by examining a substance badociated with the disease. The results of this study are being published in ACS Central Science.

It is hoped that the results may lead to earlier diagnosis for people with this condition before motor control problems occur.

In the UK, about one in every 350 adults (145,000) have Parkinson's disease, which can leave people struggling to walk, talk and sleep.

Professor Perdita Barran, lead author of the study, told the BBC: "We discovered that some compounds are more prevalent in people with Parkinson's disease and we discovered them because Joy Milne could feel a difference .

"She could smell people with Parkinson's disease.

"What we could hope for is that if we can diagnose people earlier, before motor symptoms are manifested, there will be treatments that can prevent the disease from spreading. 39 is therefore the ultimate ambition. "