Our customers are always looking to take care of their health. Sometimes, learning about a problem early can be one of the best steps you can take, as you can help stave off a worsening condition and prevent symptoms from developing.

A new blood test measures a biomarker that is linked to Alzheimer’s. It can detect Alzheimer’s disease with 90 percent accuracy before you have symptoms. It can be performed as part of a regular health checkup.  

“The tested blood test can detect Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy even in real-life settings in primary care,” said study author Dr. Oskar Hansson, head of the Clinical Memory Research Unit at Lund Univ.  

In the study, 1,213 people with mild memory issues were evaluated by either primary care doctors or memory specialists. They then had blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests. Primary care physicians accurately diagnosed Alzheimer’s 61 percent of the time, memory specialists were 71 percent correct and the blood test correctly identified Alzheimer’s 90 percent of the time.

Current tests are complicated. First, there are memory and thinking tests. Then potentially specialists, PET scans and spinal taps. That’s why there can be inaccuracies. Patients can wait months or years to get confirmation of their diagnosis even when their symptoms are debilitating because they can’t get referrals for the proper tests. While the disease is currently incurable, there are treatments. The Univ. of Southern California calculated that an average of 13 months would be shaved off of wait time for diagnosis by using blood tests instead.

“We know that blood tests have the potential to increase (the) accuracy of early diagnosis and maximize the opportunity for patients to access potential Alzheimer’s treatments,” said Rebecca Edelmayer, senior director of scientific engagement for the Alzheimer’s Association. “The field is really moving forward with the use of these types of tests.”  

“I was surprised by how well the blood test worked in real-life settings in primary care, where the patients are older and have more comorbidities like kidney disease, which can affect the blood test results,” said Hansson.

The condition is misdiagnosed in 25 to 35 percent of people who go to specialized clinics. Researchers worry that number is even worse in primary care office visits. This test could help people get an accurate diagnosis at the earliest signs of memory concerns.

The test has only been tried in Sweden. The researchers acknowledge that it needs to be tested in more diverse places to be sure it works for a broad range of people.

“The big promise for blood tests is that they will eventually be accessible, hopefully, cost-effective and noninvasive,” Dr. Edelmayer said.

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