Doctors may eventually have a way to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease with a simple blood test.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a blood test could detect the tau protein, one of the signs of Alzheimer’s, CNN reported.
The test was just as accurate as the traditional tests used to detect the disease — a spinal tap or positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
It also found the tau protein 20 years before cognitive symptoms like memory loss began, The New York Times reported.
This is just the first step, scientists remind. It will be years before the test is available as more research is needed, CNN reported.
But they are hopeful that will take only two or three years until the test is ready for clinical use, the Times reported.
According to the Alzheimer’s Organization, 5.8 million people in America live with Alzheimer’s and that number is projected to be almost 14 million in 30 years. Most are 75 years old or older with two-thirds being women.
Click here to read the study published in the JAMA.
Cox Media Group
