Dear Doctors: My ex-husband had a certain musty smell before he was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease. Now my current husband has that same smell, and I\u2019m worried he has Parkinson\u2019s, too. Radon is a problem here in Tennessee, and I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s connected to Parkinson\u2019s. Why isn\u2019t this public knowledge?<\/p>\n
Dear Reader: In recent columns, we have written about the health risks of exposure to radon gas, some unusual symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease, and the biochemistry behind a distinct and musty scent that sometimes occurs in the skin of older adults. Your letter intrigued us with a discussion of all three.<\/p>\n
Parkinson\u2019s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It changes the region of the brain associated with muscle movement and other functions. These result in a deficit of dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial to smooth, sustained and deliberate movement. The steady decrease in dopamine production causes the primary symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s. These include muscle rigidity, slowed movement, tremors, balance problems, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech.<\/p>\n
Like many neurodegenerative conditions, there is no specific test for Parkinson\u2019s disease, which often makes it difficult to diagnose. That\u2019s why, when a woman in Scotland told researchers in 2009 that her husband\u2019s scent changed several years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s and that she could recognize that scent in others with the disease, they were intrigued. A decade later, researchers had isolated four compounds specific to the skin secretions of people living with Parkinson\u2019s. The hope is someday these can be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis of the disease.<\/p>\n
In a recent column, we explored the age-related changes that can lead to a musty, dusty smell on the skin of older adults. Because the compound that causes the scent is not water-soluble, it can\u2019t be washed off, so it can become quite noticeable. The compound is also easily aerosolized and can infiltrate an entire room. A significant portion of older adults emit this musty smell. By contrast, the number of adults over age 60 with Parkinson\u2019s is far smaller — about 10 out of every 1,000. A musty scent in older adults does not automatically indicate Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
That brings us to radon. A colorless, odorless and radioactive gas, it results from the decay of uranium and radium found in rocks and soil. Radon can seep into buildings through cracks and openings in foundations. Exposure poses health risks, primarily lung cancer. Some regions, including the area in Tennessee you are writing from, are radon hotspots. That makes it particularly important to use a reliable radon detector.<\/p>\n
The results of some research have suggested a possible connection between radon gas exposure and neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson\u2019s. However, a definitive link has not been established. To ease your mind, discuss your concerns with your husband and his health care providers. At the very least, they can perform a baseline assessment to measure against for future neurological changes.<\/p>\n
(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c\/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dear Doctors: My ex-husband had a certain musty smell before he was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease. Now my…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-46402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}