‘Major Breakthrough’ Blood Test Can Find Dementia Risk Before Symptoms Even Start
. . .About 1 in 9 US seniors has Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, which slowly impairs memory, thinking skills and the ability to perform even basic tasks.
There is no single, easy test to diagnose Alzheimer’s, but a new review of 18 scientific studies confirms that a simple blood test can detect early signs of the brain disorder before cognitive symptoms appear.
The protein p-tau217 has become a reliable Alzheimer’s biomarker because its concentration in the blood is strongly linked to the presence of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
The research out this week in JAMA Neurology supports the use of p-tau217 blood tests as a “minimally invasive tool” for early identification of Alzheimer’s, “particularly in settings where timely intervention with disease-modifying therapies may offer the greatest benefit in slowing or preventing disease progression.”
Dr. Liron Sinvani, director of the Geriatric Hospitalist Service at Northwell Health and director of research for hospital medicine, called the finding “a major breakthrough.”
“Just a simple blood test to see if this protein, this p-tau217, is present can indicate that someone is at a very high risk of having dementia right before symptoms even start,” said Sinvani, who was not involved in the new research. (Read more from “‘Major Breakthrough’ Blood Test Can Find Dementia Risk Before Symptoms Even Start” HERE)
