A Blood Test Accurately Diagnosed Alzheimer's 90% of the Time, Study Finds
A study in JAMA shows a blood test can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with 90% accuracy, outperforming traditional methods. It may lead to routine cognitive impairment screenings in primary care. Further validation is needed.
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A recent study published in JAMA has revealed that a blood test can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease 90% of the time, significantly outperforming traditional methods such as cognitive tests and CT scans. Conducted in Sweden, the research involved approximately 1,200 patients with mild memory issues, comparing the blood test results with spinal taps and PET scans. Dementia specialists achieved a 73% accuracy rate, while primary care doctors had only 61% accuracy. The blood test focuses on a specific form of the tau protein, known as ptau-217, which is more closely linked to cognitive decline than amyloid proteins.
Experts believe this advancement could lead to routine blood tests for cognitive impairment during primary care checkups, similar to cholesterol tests. However, they caution that blood tests should only be used for individuals exhibiting memory loss symptoms and not for those without cognitive impairment, as there are currently no therapies available for asymptomatic individuals. The study's findings highlight the potential for blood tests to identify patients eligible for new Alzheimer’s medications, which may slow cognitive decline.
Despite the promising results, experts emphasize the need for further validation in diverse populations and recommend that blood tests be part of a comprehensive diagnostic process, including cognitive assessments and imaging studies. The integration of these tests into standard care could enhance access to Alzheimer’s screening, particularly for underserved communities.
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5 commentsThat's an intriguing statistical statement to make. It implies that the test simply flags lots of positives, and the accuracy gets worse in populations where the number of true positives is low. That's not such a crime (especially due to the cost of false negatives), but I don't understand why it's framed so innocuously in this way.
It's also interesting that the article doesn't mention the false-positive/false-negative rates for the blood tests, just for the physicians' diagnoses. Is there some spin on the numbers that we're not meant to see?
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