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.

This is the first study to show differences in the blood between people with pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease before the presenting symptoms appear and people who will not go on to develop the condition.

While this research is a welcome development, there are issues to be considered concerning such a test, according to Gerry Martin, the chief executive of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

“There currently is no blood test available in Ireland which is able to predict the risk of someone developing Alzheimer’s or dementia in the future,” said Mr Martin. “While the Alzheimer Society of Ireland believes that early intervention is an important step in managing dementia, having an early detection test does raise ethical concerns.

“People need to be given a choice about whether they want to know if they have a heightened risk and fully understand the outcome of such a test.”

The research focused on 525 healthy participants aged 70 and over and observed them for five years. By measuring the presence of 10 compounds — known as phospholipids — in the blood, the researchers were able to predict with 90% accuracy people that would go on to develop mild cognitive impairment, or Alzheimer’s disease, within that time frame.

This is not the first time a blood test has been hailed as a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In August 2011, Robert Nagele, a professor of medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine claimed that his company, Durin Technologies, had developed a blood test that was 96% accurate.

A number of blood tests are currently under trial, including a number in Australia where researchers have reported encouraging results. Currently, the only definitive way to diagnose the disease is by direct examination of brain tissue after the patient dies.

For more information on the condition, see www.alzheimer.ie.