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Alzheimer's blood test catches 90% of early dementia cases, study finds
Blood tests that can detect 90% of Alzheimer’s cases could revolutionize access to Alzheimer’s treatment, studies say.
The test measures tau protein 217, which is an excellent indicator of amyloid pathology, said study coauthor Dr. Sebastian Palmqvist, an associate professor and senior consultant neurologist at Lund University in Sweden. The relatively poor rate of accuracy — 61% and 73% — highlights how difficult it is for doctors to correctly identify Alzheimer’s pathology with current tools: a short interview with the patient, a brief cognitive test and a computed tomography, or CT, scan of the brain. “Generally, both traditional paper-and-pen tests and digital cognitive assessments are not highly accurate in specifically identifying Alzheimer’s disease,” said study coauthor Dr. Oskar Hansson, a professor and senior consultant of neurology at Lund University.
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