‘Scent of a woman’: Rare condition causes man to collapse from smell of Chanel No. 5

A saleswoman works at a cosmetics counter at the Shinsegae department store in Seoul October 11, 2009. Department stores in Asia that have managed to capitalise on trend-conscious consumers willing to spend on elegance and beauty are ringing in the sales as the region's economy recovers. In contrast, the ones not using luxury to tempt shoppers look much more vulnerable to cheaper alternatives. Picture taken October 11. To match ANALYSIS ASIA-DEPARTMENTSTORES/ REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak (SOUTH KOREA BUSINESS) (REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak)

A man from North Wales has a strange reaction to the smell of his wife’s perfume: A simple whiff of Chanel No. 5 can make him collapse, according to The Daily Express.

Glynn Parry, 36, suffers from familial hemiplegic migraines, a rare genetic condition that causes certain channels of the brain to temporarily stop working.  This ultimately leads to weakness – and even paralysis – on one side of the body.

According to Parry, his migraines are mostly triggered by strong odors.

“Some people react to chocolate, cheese, alcohol and caffeine. I’ve cut all of these out just to be safe,” Parry told The Daily Express. “But one of my strangest and strongest triggers is smells. I’m very sensitive to them. My wife Carrie wore some Chanel No 5 and I just dropped.”

Parry’s wife, Carrie, told the paper that she has stopped using the perfume and only uses mild shampoos in an effort to protect her husband.

“The worry is this could be life-threatening or he might not quite recover from an attack,” she said.

Click for more from The Daily Express.