Blood Test Soon To Detect Alzheimer’s

Researchers say they have moved closer to developing a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. Diseases like Alzheimer’s bring about characteristic changes in autoantibody profiles These profiles are what this novel test tries to screen, which when detected, may help doctors assess if their patients already suffer from Alzheimer’s or likely so in the near future. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and being overweight all have a negative effect on the vascular system.

‘People found to have preclinical disease can take steps to improve their vascular health, including watching their diet, exercising and managing any weight and blood pressure issues to help stave off or slow disease progression’.

As blood vessels in the brain weaken or become brittle with age, they begin to leak, which allows plasma components, including autoantibodies, into the brain where they can bind to neurons and hasten the accumulation of rogue proteins called beta amyloid that clump together and cause the memory loss indicative of the condition. By developing a way to detect the buildup of these chemicals, Dr. Nagele and his colleagues hope that a new, dependable method for detecting Alzheimer’s in the early stages will emerge.

In a pilot study conducted earlier this year, Nagele and his team used blood samples from 50 patients with mild cognitive impairment along with 50 serum samples taken from people without the disease to verify the accuracy of their test. Reportedly, the test boasts an accuracy of around 95 percent. Autoantibodies are underutilized in the medical diagnostics field, and could open up a whole new paradigm of testing for all sorts of diseases. These specifically bind to blood-borne cellular debris generated by organs and tissues all over the body. While each individual shows a different and unique antibody profile based on age and sex, the disease present in the body can cause several changes that can reveal the specific type of condition.

Though there is now no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are lifestyle changes that can reduce one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s. By detecting Alzheimer’s antibodies at the preclinical stage, this would give patients an opportunity to change certain lifestyle habits that may increase risk, as well as receive treatment before symptoms appear.

Dr. Robert Nagele, the lead author, presented their findings during the annual Osteopathic Medical Conference & Exposition (OMED) in Orlando, Florida last Sunday, October 18th.

Dr. Jennifer Caudle from the university added, “I can’t think of a single patient who wouldn’t take steps to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s if they could directly affect their prognosis”.

Alzheimer’s now affects 5.3 million Americans, and is one of the top 10 causes of death in the country.