Just a basic blood test could help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease around two decades in advance before its symptoms occur, as per a new study.
As per researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, the simple blood test can detect changes in our brain associated to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the test is much simpler and cheaper in comparison to PET brain screening.
For the study, the researchers looked at the blood samples of 158 people over the age of 50 years. Using the blood test, they measured the levels of protein amyloid beta, which is a key indicator of the disease in blood. The study results showed that the new test had 94 percent accuracy in identifying Alzheimer’s disease years in advance.
The researchers say that the new blood test could be utilized to measure these levels in order to foresee the build-up of protein amyloid beta in the brain, even before the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Notably, there are around 850,000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s in the UK, with the figure set to increase over 1 million by the year 2025. In fact, it’s predicted to rise up to 2 million by the year 2051. As such, the study results represent a possible breakthrough in fighting against Alzheimer’s.