New blood tests that detect Alzheimer’s are causing a lot of debate in the medical community. These tests offer a faster, cheaper, and less invasive way to diagnose the disease compared to traditional methods. But experts have concerns about diagnosing Alzheimer’s before any symptoms appear.
The Shift to Blood Tests for Diagnosis
Currently, diagnosing Alzheimer’s involves brain scans, spinal fluid analysis, or cognitive tests. These tests can be expensive and invasive. In the UK, only a small percentage of people with Alzheimer’s get these tests. As a result, many diagnoses are made late, after symptoms appear.
In the UK, doctors are testing a new method: blood tests that detect p-tau217. This protein is linked to Alzheimer’s and is found in the brains of people with the disease. These tests are still in the trial stage but are expected to be common within five years.
The push for earlier diagnosis comes from new drugs like lecanemab and donanemab. These drugs aim to reduce amyloid plaques in the brain. Studies show that these drugs can improve cognition, but they work best when given early, before symptoms show up. Doctors believe that diagnosing Alzheimer’s early might help delay its start. However, it is still unclear whether early treatment will slow down the disease.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms
The idea of diagnosing Alzheimer’s before symptoms are present has caused a lot of discussion. The Alzheimer’s Association in the U.S. has suggested that people with positive biomarkers, even if they have no symptoms, should be diagnosed with preclinical Alzheimer’s. This would mean redefining Alzheimer’s to include those at risk but without symptoms of dementia.
However, a group of European doctors disagrees. They say that diagnosing people without symptoms could cause unnecessary anxiety. These individuals are not yet sick—they are just at risk. In fact, most people with the biomarker will never develop Alzheimer’s.
Nicolas Villain, a neurologist, argues against diagnosing “preclinical Alzheimer’s.” He worries that labeling people who may never get sick could create false alarms and unnecessary stress. Timothy Daly, a bioethicist, shares this concern. He believes that calling Alzheimer’s a “risk condition” could lead to confusion and inflate the number of people diagnosed with the disease. This could cause a “gray area,” where people are labeled as sick even if they never show symptoms.
Pros and Cons of Early Detection
There are strong arguments both for and against early detection. Supporters argue that identifying people at risk could help them take action before symptoms appear. Blood tests may be a breakthrough, allowing for earlier intervention.
Early treatment, especially with new amyloid-lowering drugs, could slow the disease. These drugs aim to remove amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. While the benefits of these drugs are still modest, some researchers believe they could be more effective when used early. But many experts warn that more research is needed to see if these treatments will work in people who have no symptoms.
A key challenge is figuring out who will develop Alzheimer’s. A blood test can show someone is at risk, but it can’t predict when, or if, they will get symptoms. This uncertainty makes it difficult to know what to do next.
Jonathan Schott from Alzheimer’s Research UK has cautioned against using biomarker tests outside of clinical trials for now. He also warns against offering these blood tests directly to consumers. Such tests could lead to confusion and anxiety for people who get unclear results. Those who test positive might be labeled as “pre-Alzheimer’s” or “at risk,” without understanding what that really means.
What’s Next for Alzheimer’s Diagnosis?
While blood tests show promise, experts agree that they should not be used to diagnose people outside clinical trials for now. These tests may eventually become an important part of Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but they should not be seen as the final answer. A positive result on a biomarker test should indicate risk, not a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
For now, the focus is on learning more about Alzheimer’s, improving diagnostic methods, and developing better treatments. The hope is that as research progresses, we can detect the disease earlier and treat it more effectively before it takes a serious toll on people’s lives.
In the future, better diagnostic tests, including blood tests, may change how we diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s. But for now, it’s important to be cautious. The right balance between early detection and emotional care is crucial to making sure patients are not misled or unnecessarily worried.
For more health updates on Alzheimer’s research and medical diagnostics, visit Euro News 24.