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Alzheimer's disease is an extremely serious food at the end of life that can have a significant impact on the quality of life and self-sufficiency of an individual. The good news is that treatments can significantly reduce the damage caused by the disease, but they must be administered early in its progression.
The detection of Alzheimer's disease can be tricky, especially when the symptoms are mild at first or nonspecific. In a new study, researchers describe a new blood test that can detect the disease even before the symptoms become noticeable. Such a test could greatly improve the chances of obtaining positive treatment results and help delay neurological damage.
The test, developed by researchers at the University of Washington Medical School and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, detects a kind of protein badociated with damage to neurons.
The presence of the protein in the blood of an individual indicates damage to the brain cells, and its screening in the blood is much less invasive than its detection in the cerebrospinal fluid by a spinal tap. The researchers confirmed that protein levels in the blood could be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, but they could also apply to other conditions.
"It's something that would be easy to incorporate into a screening test in a neurology clinic," said Brian Gordon, PhD, who worked on the study, in a statement. "We have validated it in people with Alzheimer's disease because we know that their brain is undergoing significant neurodegeneration, but this marker is not specific to Alzheimer's disease. High levels could be a sign of many neurological diseases and injuries. "
To better justify the use of the test for potential cases of Alzheimer's, the team studied over 400 patients and monitored their protein levels over several years. What they discovered was that the individuals who eventually developed Alzheimer's disease showed a progressive increase in protein levels compared to the more stable levels seen in healthy patients. In particular, high levels were detectable 16 years before the onset of symptoms, which is a considerable advance for physicians developing a treatment plan.
The researchers suggest that a similar test could be commonplace within a few years, giving potential patients with Alzheimer's disease the means to fight the disease before it causes serious damage.
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