According to a recent Washington Post article, a new study identified 10 blood proteins that predict, with 87% accuracy, whether a person experiencing early signs of memory loss will develop Alzheimer’s disease within one year. Alzheimer’s, which has no cure, is the fourth leading cause of death in adults.
Researchers from King’s College London and Proteome (a British company) analyzed blood samples from 1,148 people: 476 with Alzheimer’s disease, 220 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 452 without dementia. According to the article, the researchers found that 16 of the 26 blood proteins previously linked to Alzheimer’s were strongly tied to brain shrinkage in people with MCI or Alzheimer’s. They then found 10 of these 16 proteins could predict whether early memory loss would progress to Alzheimer’s within one year.
Senior study author, Simon Lovestone, notes, “Many of our drug trials fail because by the time patients are given the drugs, the brain has already been severely affected.” Researchers hope that the development of such a blood test would help identify Alzheimer’s disease in patients sooner, allowing them to obtain treatment to prevent disease progression.
The article notes that the early identification of Alzheimer’s often raises questions regarding stigma and identity. Some people may not want to know that they have it, given that there is no cure. Conversely, early identification may provide people with time to complete estate planning and “enjoy life to the fullest before losing cognitive function.”
