There have been stories of dogs that can sniff out cancer, and now a woman from Scotland claims one of the most insidious ailments of the nervous system – Parkinson’s disease – has its own distinct smell.

And her ability could help develop a new test for what is a difficult condition to identify.

The disease, which has no known cure, affects around 80,000 Australians and can leave people struggling to walk, speak and sleep.

• Finding happiness comes down to three key things
• There are ways to treat horrendous hay fever
• New hangover cure could encourage binge drinking

Joy Milne, from Perth in Scotland, said she first noticed a change in her husband, Les, six years before he was diagnosed with the disease — a progressive neurological disorder.

Mr Milne was diagnosed 20 years ago, and died in June this year at the age of 65.

“His smell changed and it seemed difficult to describe. It wasn’t all of a sudden,” Ms Milne told the BBC.

Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 after noticing a twitch in his little finger. Photo: Getty

“It was very subtle — a musky smell.”

She said she did not realise the connection of the smell to the condition until she joined the charity Parkinson’s UK.

“When I was in a room with other people with Parkinson’s, I realised they also had the smell,” she said.

Ms Milne said she had a sensitive sense of smell, being able to detect things other people could not.

Edinburgh University tested out her claim, getting her to smell the shirts of 12 people — six people with the disease and six without — to see if she could identify the people with the disease.

She identified 11 out of the 12 correct, but was adamant one of the control subjects had the disease.

“According to him and according to us as well he didn’t have Parkinson’s,” Edinburgh University researcher Dr Tilo Kunath said.

“But eight months later he informed me that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“So Joy wasn’t correct for 11 out of 12, she was actually 12 out of 12 correct at that time.”

New study hopes to develop diagnostic test

As a result of this, Parkinson’s UK is funding researchers in Edinburgh, Manchester and London to carry out a study to establish if people in the early stages of the disease emit a particular smell.

Researchers will examine 200 people with and without the disease from across the UK.

It is hoped a simple diagnostic test will be developed from the research.

Such a test for Parkinson’s could be life-changing, says the Scotland director of Parkinson’s UK Katherine Crawford

“This study is potentially transformational for the lives of people living with Parkinson’s,” she told the BBC.

“Parkinson’s is an incredibly difficult disease to diagnose.

“We still effectively diagnose it today the way that Dr James Parkinson diagnosed it in 1817, which is by observing people and their symptoms.

“A diagnostic test like this could cut through so much of that, enable people to go in and see a consultant, have a simple swab test and come out with a clear diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

“It would be absolutely incredible and life-changing for them immediately.”

– with ABC