Scottish woman claims she can smell Parkinson’s disease
A Scottish woman says she can smell Parkinson’s disease — and scientists say her claim doesn’t stink.
Joy Milne’s husband battled Parkinson’s for 20 years before passing away earlier this year. She told BBC News that his odor changed even years before he was diagnosed.
“His smell changed and it seemed difficult to describe,” she told the British news website. “It wasn’t all of a sudden. It was very subtle — a musky smell. I got an occasional smell.”
However, she didn’t realize there was a distinct smell to Parkinson’s until she and her husband attended a support group.
“It wasn’t until we moved back to Scotland, to Perth, and we went to the Parkinson’s group and when I went into the room, I thought ‘Oh the smell is stronger,’” she told Sky News. “I realized that then other people smelt. It could be strong with somebody, it could be weaker with somebody else, so that in actual fact whether they were controlled, or their disease was getting worse or their actual medication was working, I could actually identify.”
Milne caught the eye of the organization Parkinson’s UK, which decided to try out her “skill” in a special study. The organization enlisted six people with Parkinson’s and six without, BBC News reported. They all wore T-shirts for a day, and Milne was then given the shirts and told to say which ones had Parkinson’s and which ones didn’t.
“Her accuracy was 11 out of 12. We were quite impressed,” Dr. Tilo Kunath told the BBC.
Actually, make that 12 out of 12. A man from the “non-Parkinson’s group” actually was diagnosed with the disease eight months later, according to the news website
That really impressed us and we had to dig further into this phenomenon,” Dr Kunath said.
So now Parkinson’s UK is doing a 200-person study that could lead to major progress in besting the disease.
“We still effectively diagnose it today the way that Dr. James Parkinson diagnosed it in 1817, which is by observing people and their symptoms,” Katherine Crawford, Scotland director of Parkinson’s UK, tells BBC News. “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.”
Parkinson’s is a progressive disease of the nervous system with no known cure. Approximately 7-10 million people, including 1 million Americans, are living with the disease, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed every year. Legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali and actor Michael J. Fox are among those battling the disease.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/scottishwoman-claims-smell-parkinson-disease-article-1.2408987
Após a leitura do texto, avalie as afirmações a seguir.
I) O marido de Joy Milne lutou contra a doença por 20 anos.
II) O senhor Milne morreu em meados de 2015 na cidade de Perth.
III) Joy Milne pode identificar o cheiro de almiscar em diferentes níveis.
IV) Joy Milne conseguiu obter 100% de acerto no seu teste de detecção da doença.
V) Atualmente a doença é diagnosticada nos mesmos padrões usados em 1817.
VI) Cerca de 10 milhões de americanos sofrem da doença de Parkinson.
É correto APENAS o que se afirma em:
