FDA Approves New Blood Test for Diagnosing Alzheimer's

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June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month. 

More than 7 million people have Alzheimer’s disease here in the United States. 

Now, a new blood test may be able to help with early diagnosis. 

“The new blood test that's available for Alzheimer's disease is actually measuring a chemical that comes out of the brain and is associated with the amount of plaque, or amyloid protein, that is part of the disease. So, it's picking up the pathology of the disease and can do this actuallyvery early in the disease process,” explained Charles Bernick, MD, MDH, neurologist at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Bernick said the new blood test, which was just approved by the FDA, is for adults over the age of 55 who are showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause for dementia. 

Symptoms typically include memory loss and the decline of other cognitive abilities, like being able to use logic and language. 

Dr. Bernick said since this blood test can help with early diagnosis, it gives a person the chance to start treatment sooner. 

And the sooner that happens, the better odds they have of delaying or stopping the progression of symptoms. 

But that’s not the only benefit of this blood test. 

“We can use these blood tests to help differentiate conditions. Because often when we see patients in the clinic, we're not sure if they have Alzheimer's disease, or if their memory problems are due to something else, could be strokes, could be other diseases such as Parkinson's disease. So, these blood tests help us in differentiating what the underlying cause of the disease is,” said Dr. Bernick. 

He adds that the blood test could also speed up the process of finding the right participants for a clinical trial.

And that could in turn lead to quicker development of potential medications.