Revolutionary blood test: Early detection of Alzheimer's without pain!

Revolutionary blood test: Early detection of Alzheimer's without pain!

Wien, Österreich - A groundbreaking blood test has the potential to diagnose Alzheimer's early by simply working through a blood sample. This was reported OE24 . Dr. Bernhard Mühl, a specialist in medical-chemical laboratory diagnostics, explained that this new test measures the biomarker beta-amyloid in the blood plasma, which is considered one of the main causes of Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that is becoming increasingly common - around 100,000 people live with this diagnosis in Austria alone. In addition, the number could increase to over 200,000 by 2050. Previously required invasive procedures such as lumbar punctures or expensive PET scans make diagnostics difficult; They are painful or not always accessible. The new blood test enables early diagnosis and thus also an earlier induction of therapy, which is crucial for the quality of life of those affected.

Overview of the new diagnostic techniques

In addition to the new blood test, which is offered exclusively by Labors.at in Europe, a test is developed in Switzerland and Germany that measures the protein molecule P-Tau217. This is also considered an indication of an existing Alzheimer's dementia, such as NZZ . These developments are particularly important because many dementia are recognized very late. Neurologist Giovanni Frisoni emphasizes that these tests can start to an alentification when patients show the first signs of memory loss or have other cognitive abnormalities. However, the new blood tests are not suitable for recognizing other forms of dementia such as the frontotemporal dementia.

The introduction of these tests not only offers a simple diagnostic solution, but also enables patients to be treated in good time before the symptoms worsen further. While the tests were specially developed to identify an active Alzheimer's disease, experts emphasize that they cannot make predictions whether someone will develop Alzheimer's later. An early application without symptoms could therefore lead to unnecessary fears. Nevertheless, this progress in diagnostics could ultimately help to better support Alzheimer's patients and their relatives and to improve their quality of life.