Alzheimer’s blood test revolution for over-50s.
Simple and cheap method can measure how likely people are to develop the illness up to 15 years before they show symptoms, study suggests
A blood test that detects Alzheimer’s 10 to 15 years before a patient shows symptoms could be used to screen all over-50s.
Measuring levels of a protein in the blood called p-tau217 has been shown to be cheaper, easier and at least as accurate as the current diagnosis options, a study has found.
The protein is a sign of disease in the brain caused when tau starts to attack neurons. This can occur up to 15 years before symptoms such as forgetfulness and cognitive decline start.
More than one million people are expected to be living with Alzheimer’s or dementia in Britain by 2030 and it is hoped that beginning early treatment could make it easier to tackle their symptoms.
Experts believe the blood test could become as routine as monitoring cholesterol to help prevent heart disease.
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg looked at data on almost 800 people in their fifties, sixties and seventies from three different trials that used a combination of data from the makers of the blood test Quanterix and lab tests. They compared the blood test with current methods, such as a lumbar puncture to screen spinal fluid, or a PET scan.
The test was able to categorise people into likely, intermediate, or unlikely to develop Alzheimer’s and data showed measuring p-tau217 in the blood could be just as good as the existing tests with an accuracy of more than 95 per cent.
