NHS to trial Alzheimer’s disease blood tests

A study to assess whether blood tests could help diagnose people with early Alzheimer’s disease is being launched by the NHS.

Experts say detecting the disease much earlier would mean people could have more support and new treatments to slow the disease.

There is currently no single test for Alzheimer’s and patients can sometimes wait years for a firm diagnosis.

A blood test would not be able to rule the disease in or out 100 per cent of the time, but may be a cost-effective and simple way to help doctors spot which patients have hidden physical signs of Alzheimer’s years before telltale symptoms appear.

There are blood tests currently available around the world, some of which are used in private clinics in the US.  These look for traces of brain proteins that have leaked into the bloodstream.  These proteins start to build up in the brain sometimes ten or more years before people start to develop confusion and memory loss.

New drugs, such as donanemab and lecanemab, can clear some of that brain build-up.

Most amyloid-lowering drug trials so far involve people with advanced disease, and many researchers believe that by the time symptoms set in, the window of opportunity for preventing cognitive decline may have already passed.

Fiona Carragher from the Alzheimer’s Society, said “Nearly four in ten people in the UK who have dementia have not received a diagnosis.  We also know that those who do have a diagnosis have often waited many months, sometimes years, to receive it.

“This means thousands of families are stuck in limbo, trying to manage symptoms and plan for the future without access to the vital care and support that a diagnosis can bring.

“New drugs targeting early-stage Alzheimer’s disease are just around the corner, but without a diagnosis, people simply won’t be able to access them if they are approved.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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