A blood test can determine whether memory loss is caused by Alzheimer’s disease with more than 90% accuracy, according to a new study. to study published Sunday.
A group of researchers at Lund University in Sweden has discovered that a state-of-the-art blood test can significantly outperform diagnoses from both primary care and medical specialists.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that a p-tau217 blood test can determine whether memory loss is caused by Alzheimer’s about 91% of the time, compared with 73% accuracy for experts and 61% for primary care. doctors.
Although there are gold standard methods for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, current methods are expensive, difficult to access, and often require long waits. Researchers hope that this new method can speed up the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and speed up treatment.
“Importantly, even in settings with limited access to these new therapies, an accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, verified by biomarkers, can have a positive effect on clinical care. and prognosis”, says the study.
The p-tau217 test measures levels of a specific blood peptide that is known as a marker of neurological damage due to Alzheimer’s. By determining specific test levels, doctors could use them to see whether cognitive decline is due to Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.
Tau protein tangles track the accumulation of amyloid in the brain, a key sign of Alzheimer’s disease. It can be present decades before the onset of severe memory loss and is the target of the latest drugs that combat the disease.
Researchers tested about 1,200 people with an average age of 74 who were undergoing evaluations for potential Alzheimer’s, comparing blood test results with medical diagnoses and full-precision lumbar puncture tests.
Despite the high accuracy of blood tests, the tests are not infallible, although researchers hope the method can reduce pressure on specialist care and facilitate access for those who need it.
A similar January study of p-tau217 blood tests found an even better diagnostic accuracy of 96 percent.
According to Mayo clinic, brain imaging, such as MRI, CT scan, or PET imaging, is often used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in patients. The Mayo Clinic noted that laboratory blood tests can sometimes be used to detect amyloid and tau levels, but that the tests “are not widely available and coverage may be limited.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The agency defines it as a “progressive disease that begins with mild memory loss and possibly leads to loss of the ability to hold a conversation and respond to the environment.”
In 2020, the CDC stated that up to 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
