Posted on 10/14/2007 1:24:25 PM PDT by neverdem
Scientists reported progress today toward one of medicine’s long-sought goals: the development of a blood test that can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, and even do so years before truly debilitating memory loss.
A team of scientists, based mainly at Stanford University, developed a test that was about 90 percent accurate in distinguishing the blood of people with Alzheimer’s from the blood of those without the disease. The test was about 80 percent accurate in predicting which patients with mild memory loss would go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease two to six years later.
Outside experts called the results, published online today by Nature Medicine promising but very preliminary. They cautioned that the work must be validated by others and in much larger studies, because there have been many disappointments in the past.
“Looking for biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease is a very hot area,” said Dr. William Jagust, professor of public health and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. “Things tend to get a lot of attention and they are not always borne out.”
Right now, Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed by a battery of mental and other tests, and even that diagnosis rests on the judgment of the physician. Doctors say it would be very useful to have something like a pregnancy test for Alzheimer’s — one that is simple and definitive and can pick up the disease very early, maybe even before symptoms appear.
At present, treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are not very effective, so some people might not want early notification that they have an incurable ailment. But other people might want it.
“There are people who want to know what their future holds so they can plan their estates and lives,” said Dr. Sam Gandy, a professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine who is chairman of...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Condolences; condolences; interesting. Thanks for the ping neverdem. Health/life bump.
About a month ago, it was decided that we would remove nutritional supplements from my 92 year old mother. There has been a remarkable decline in her memory. Coincidence?
I am so sorry about the loss of your mother.
Please see post #16
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