A multinational research project revealed that a blood test was reliable 90% of the time for detecting Alzheimer's disease before symptoms became evident.
The findings were published Sunday in JAMA. Researchers were hopeful of the test's efficacy given that patients were examined in standard health care settings.
The study included 1,213 people experiencing mild memory loss, which researchers say can be an early indicator of Alzheimer's. Among the patients, 515 were evaluated in a primary care setting and 698 at a specialist memory clinic.
Researchers used cerebrospinal fluid tests to confirm the results of the blood tests.
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“Primary care doctors’ accuracy in identifying Alzheimer’s disease was 61%, while specialist physicians were correct 73% of the time," said Sebastian Palmqvist, associate professor of neurology at Lund University. "This underscores the lack of good, cost-effective diagnostic tools, particularly in primary care, and indicates the potential improvement in diagnosis with the adoption of this blood test in health care settings."
Early diagnosis can benefit patients
Alzheimer's disease infamously has no known cure. It is a disease that can slowly rob a person of their memory.
However, health officials say an early diagnosis can slow the disease's progress and delay its worst effects on patients.
“Early diagnosis is crucial as new treatments that slow the disease’s progression are developed,” said Oskar Hansson, professor of neurology at Lund University. “For example, two immunotherapies have recently been approved in the USA and are expected to be available in Europe soon. An early and accurate diagnosis is also vital for facilitating research into new treatments.”
How many people could be impacted?
Researchers say studying memory loss is important as the U.S. population ages. They said 1 in 4 will face an elevated risk of memory loss and Alzheimer's disease by 2060.
Around 6.9 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Researchers note that more study will be needed before the blood tests could be widely available.