It has been just reported that there is a blood test for Alzheimer’s that is shaking the medical world. Check out the latest reports about this below.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s
A recent research published in the JAMA Network on January 22, revealed that a new blood test has been found to have “high accuracy” in determining the risk of Alzheimer’s.
This test called “ALZpath pTau217 assay” could be a cheaper and easier alternative to the current tests for the illness.
At present, individuals have to undergo a spinal tap or brain scan to identify protein buildup like amyloid beta and tau in the brain, which would suggest the risk of Alzheimer’s. However, these tests can be expensive and oftentimes inaccessible.
The study focused on a form of tau protein called p-tau217, which is a key biomarker of Alzheimer’s.
Researchers have conducted a study with 786 participants across three independent clinical studies.
They found that the “ALZpath pTau217 assay” test shows high accuracy in identifying elevated levels of amyloid beta and p-tau217 in the brains of the participants.
The new test demonstrated an accuracy rate of up to 97% in identifying tau and up to 96% accuracy in identifying amyloid beta.
The precision of the test was found to be comparable to Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) biomarker tests, which are currently considered the most reliable tests for detecting Alzheimer’s.
It is important to note that the “ALZpath pTau217 assay” can be conducted through a simple blood test. However, unlike this assay, the CSF test is a more invasive procedure that requires a spinal tap.
A spinal tap involves inserting a needle into the lower back to extract the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the spine. This procedure can be painful and uncomfortable for the patient.
“ALZpath pTau217 assay” was also found to be a “superior” test compared to brain atrophy assessments to determine Alzheimer’s.
“In primary care, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of patients with cognitive impairment remain undiagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed because of the lack of accessible and cost-effective tools. Thus, blood biomarkers are set to revolutionize clinical care by providing objective biomarker-based information,” the study said.
“This study highlights the effectiveness of a commercially available plasma p-tau217 assay in identifying AD (Alzheimer’s) pathology. Our findings demonstrate the substantial reduction of confirmatory testing by approximately 80 percent.”
Check out more details in the original study.
