Ear wax may hold the key to early Parkinson’s diagnosis

An unlikely body byproduct may be able to help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s Disease early.

According to a new Chinese study, which was published in Analytical Chemistry, ear canal secretion, or ear wax, contain chemical compounds which can be telltale signs of Parkinson’s.

During the study, researchers examined ear canal secretions from 209 people. About half (108 of the participants) had Parkinson’s. In their examinations, scientists were able to identify four volatile organic compounds (VOC) that were notably different in those with the disease. Those compounds, or biomarkers, were ethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, pentanal, and 2-pentadecyl-1,3-dioxolane.

The scientists then trained an artificial intelligence olfactory (AIO) system on the biomarker data. And once training was complete, the AIO system was able to successfully determine which patients had Parkinson’s and which did not. The system was accurate 94% of the time.

Currently, Parkinson’s is a tough disease to diagnose. According to Mayo Clinic, it requires expensive imaging, neurological tests, blood tests, genetic testing, and more. And often, a diagnosis is still often not conclusive. Likewise, treatment is a work-in-progress, with current therapies aimed at slowing progression rather than curing it. Therefore, ear wax testing could be a breakthrough first-step screening tool that’s inexpensive, noninvasive, and accessible.

The researchers who worked on the study say the findings are a major step in Parkinson’s early detection, which currently, doesn’t exist, but that more research is needed. “This method is a small-scale single-center experiment in China,” study coauthor Hao Dong said in a press release. Hoa Dong continued, “The next step is to conduct further research at different stages of the disease, in multiple research centers and among multiple ethnic groups, in order to determine whether this method has greater practical application value.”