According to experts, the new findings could “revolutionise” the way that Alzheimer’s patients are diagnosed.
According to experts, measuring blood levels of a protein called p-tau217 may be just as reliable in identifying early indicators of the progressive illness.
The protein serves as a marker for biological alterations in the brains of individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia. According to experts, the new findings could “revolutionise” the way that Alzheimer’s patients are diagnosed. Additionally, it might perform better than several other tests that are presently being developed. The ALZpath p-tau217 test allowed the researchers to categorize the 786 participants in the study as likely, intermediate, or unlikely to have Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at the Alzheimer’s Society, said, “This study is a hugely welcome step in the right direction as it shows that blood tests can be just as accurate as more invasive and expensive tests at predicting if someone has features of Alzheimer’s disease in their brain.”
“Furthermore, it suggests results from these tests could be clear enough to not require further follow-up investigations for some people living with Alzheimer’s disease, which could speed up the diagnosis pathway significantly in future.”To find out how beneficial these blood tests are for all Alzheimer’s patients, additional research from various communities is still necessary.
