Woman who can ‘sniff out’ Parkinson’s helps experts

● Retired nurse smelt it on her husband years before diagnosis

A retired nurse who can detect Parkinson’s disease using her extraordinary sense of smell is helping scientists to make research breakthroughs which could lead to the first diagnostic test.

Joy Milne from Perth, whose husband Les, a consultant anaesthetist, died in 2015 aged 65, noticed an unusual musky smell around a decade before he was diagnosed. She first stumbled across her unusual gift when Mr Milne started emitting a strange odour.

At first, Mrs Milne attributed the smell to bad hygiene on her husband’s part, but everything changed when the couple attended a Parkinson’s meeting.

She then realised that her husband smelt the same as the other people in the room and ten years later Mr Milne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Mrs Milne said: “I smelled it ten to 12 years before Les was diagnosed.

“As the Parkinson’s got worse, the smell got worse.

“It became just part of him, but I with my sensitive sense of smell, I could smell it all the time and it became quite uncomfortable really, but I had the sense not to nag too much.”

According to Mrs Milne, Parkinson’s disease has a very thick, musky smell.

0 Joy Milne with her husband Les, who suffered from Parkinson’s before his death in 2015

She added: “I’m in a tiny, tiny branch of the population, somewherebetweenadogand a human.”

Tanith Muller, parliamentary and campaigns manager at Parkinson’s UK in Scotland, said: “This whole story started with Joy coming along to a Parkinson’s UK event.

“During a question and answer session, her claim to be able to smell Parkinson’s caught the attention of Parkinson’s UK – supported researcher Dr Tilo Kunath at the University of Edinburgh and he investigated further.

“Tilo’s initial findings – that Joy could indeed smell Parkinson’s – then led to Parkinson’s UK funding further research into whether Parkinson’s had its own aroma.”

Parkinson’s is a degenerative neurological condition, for which there currently is no cure.

The main symptoms of the condition are tremor, slowness of movement and rigidity.

Parkinson’s affects around 11,000 people in Scotland – which is around one in 500 of the population.

Dr Arthur Roach, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, said: “It’s very early days in the research, but if it’s proved there is a unique odour associated with Parkinson’s, particularly early on in the condition, it could have a huge impact.

“Not just on early diagnosis, butitwouldalsomakeitalot easier to identify people to test drugs that may have the potential to slow, or even stop Parkinson’s, something no current drug can achieve.” Motorists using the Queensferry Crossing will be able to drive at 70mph after a series of works were completed.

The £1.35 billion bridge will have its limit increased from 6am today, with hopes the change will improve journey times over the Firth of Forth.

Full motorway status is expected to be given to the new bridge and its connecting roads in the new year.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “We hope the move to a 70mph speed limit will assist the scheme in operating as it was designed and has a positive impact on overall journey times.

“In the new year, motorway regulations and the public transport corridor will come into force, as well the Intelligent Transport System becoming fully operational.” The announcement comes after the southbound carriageway had to be shut for work on “snagging” issues before the limit could be increased.

Motorists used the Forth Road Bridge for a number of days when the closures were put in place on 30 November. The lane restrictions were lifted early due to Storm Carolina safety concerns, with the rest of the works carried out during the night.