Alzheimer Society welcomes dementia warning findings

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has welcomed research which claims that a new blood test could detect Alzheimer’s disease three years before symptoms of memory loss.

However, the society warns that such a test raises ethical issues and those affected should be allowed choose whether they wish to know if they are at heightened risk of contracting the disease.

The study, published by Nature Magazine, identified 10 molecules in the blood which could be used to predict with 90% accuracy whether people are at a greater risk of developing dementia within the next few years, according to researchers at Georgetown University Medical Centre in the US.