Researchers followed 200 new patients over 50 years of age with various cognitive symptoms. Participants underwent a standard examination and received an initial diagnosis. Afterward, the patients donated blood to detect proteins that indicate neurodegeneration, and doctors again compared their medical data, the individual's condition, and the proposed diagnosis.
Using only standard clinical assessment, doctors correctly diagnosed Alzheimer's disease 75.5% of the time, but when blood test results were included, diagnostic accuracy increased to 94.5%, Medical Express reports .
The blood test significantly improved the accuracy of the examination: approximately one in four patients was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and some were diagnosed with normal aging without pathologies before the test.
Moreover, the test was useful at all stages of neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, the authors clarified. On average, doctors' confidence in the accuracy of their diagnoses increased from 6.9 to 8.5 points on a 10-point scale.
It's worth clarifying that the p-tau217 protein tested in the blood is not considered a direct cause of Alzheimer's disease, but its elevated blood levels are one of the most accurate early indicators of the disease. The results of the new study confirm the usefulness of this diagnostic approach.
Recently, other scientists successfully removed protein plaques associated with neurodegeneration using CAR T therapy. The treatment effect was observed after just 10 days.
