Over 44 million people in the world have a form of dementia, with medical costs exceeding $600 billion per year for treatment. University researchers and industry scientists in England believe they are very close to developing a blood test that can predict the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's is the most severe and common form of dementia, affecting over five million Americans and millions more across the globe. The disease contributes to memory loss, behavioral issues, and other intellectual abilities. It was estimated that in 2013 over 15.5 million caregivers provided Alzheimer's and dementia patients with 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care.
But this could soon change. A new study conducted in the UK found an 87% accuracy rate for a new blood test that can predict the start of dementia. The research, published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, included blood samples from 1,148 people: 476 had Alzheimer's, 220 had Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and 452 did not have any form of dementia. Each sample was tested for 26 proteins that have been previously linked to Alzheimer's. Lead researcher Professor Simon Lovestone from the University of Oxford has plentiful experience in regards to dementia research.
"Alzheimer's begins to affect the brain many years before patients are diagnosed with the disease," said Professor Lovestone in this Guardian news article. "Many of our drug trials fail because by the time patients are given the drugs, the brain has already been too severely affected. A simple blood test could help us identify patients at a much earlier stage to take part in new trials and hopefully develop treatments which could prevent the progression of the disease."
In studying the 1,148 blood samples, the researchers found that 16 of the 26 proteins they tested for were linked to brain shrinkage characterized by Alzheimer's and MCI. They also found that a combination of ten proteins were able to predict if MCI patients - those with declining cognitive abilities - were on their way to developing Alzheimer's in the next year, with 87% accuracy. However, this doesn't change the fact that there is no cure for the brain ailment - it will simply enable dementia patients to enter clinical trials earlier to allow for more effective treatment.
What's amazing is that there are thousands of proteins in the blood, but after years of research, scientists were able to narrow down ten of them that can predict the early symptoms of dementia. But the research will continue, as the experts acknowledge more comprehensive and extensive tests are needed to allow the test for clinical use.
You can read more about the blood test for Alzheimer's disease in this BBC News article.
