Alzheimer’s disease could be diagnosed at home with simple test

It has been a big week in the world of Alzheimer’s research. On Monday, the final results of a major trial into the new drug donanemab showed it helped slow progression of the disease by up to 35%.

The effects were more marked in patients in the early stages of the disease however, prompting researchers and doctors to highlight the importance of early diagnosis.

The implementation of a simple finger prick blood test could aid in determining whether or not individuals have the disease, and go on to receive treatment as soon as possible. 

A team from the University of Gothenburg developed a test for three Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers – neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau181 and 217).

They collected both vein and finger prick samples from 77 memory clinic patients from the ACE Alzheimer Center in Barcelona. The samples were transferred onto dry blood spot cards and transported overnight, without temperature control or cooling, to the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. 

‘Currently, use of Alzheimer’s blood tests is limited by the need to visit a clinic, administration by trained personnel, and strict time-limited and temperature-dependent delivery and storage procedures. 

‘A method that allows blood collection at home and that is simple enough to be performed independently, or by caregivers, would increase accessibility of these tests. It would result in improved early diagnosis and better monitoring of patients considered “at risk” or those who are receiving approved therapies.’

The results were unveiled at this week’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam alongside a second major study into diagnostic blood testing.

A team from Lund University in Sweden examined the use of blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, comparing traditional clinical diagnosis against a test to measure the concentration of beta-amyloid and phosphorylated tau. Both are thought to contribute to dementia when building up in the brain.

The study recruited 307 middle-aged to elderly patients at 17 primary care centres across the country. 

Following an office visit, cognitive testing and a CT scan or MRI of the brain for each participant, the doctors registered their diagnosis, the likely biological cause(s) and proposed a treatment plan.

At the same time, a blood sample was collected and analysed to determine the concentrations of beta-amyloid and phosphorylated tau using the PrecivityAD2 test by C2N Diagnostics. Levels of these two markers were combined into a score called the Amyloid Probability Score 2 (APS2). 

All patients then underwent a thorough clinical examination at a specialised memory clinic, including evaluation by a specialist blinded to the blood sample result.

In 55% of cases doctors correctly identified the presence of Alzheimer’s-related changes or correctly diagnosed Alzheimer’s. However, the blood test did so in more than 85% of cases.

In addition, doctors indicated their certainty about the diagnosis was less than 50%, and while some people with Alzheimer’s were incorrectly diagnosed and did not receive treatment, others without the disease did receive symptomatic treatment.

‘Due to the lack of accurate diagnostic tools, it is currently very difficult for primary care doctors to identify Alzheimer’s disease, even among patients with cognitive impairment,’ said lead author Dr Sebastian Palmqvist. ‘This too often leads to diagnostic uncertainty and inappropriate treatment. Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease have great potential for improving diagnostic accuracy and proper treatment of people with Alzheimer’s.

‘These tests may become even more important in the near future, as new drugs that slow down the disease in its early stages become more widely available.’

If you are worried about yourself, or someone close to you, you can check your symptoms using Alzheimer’s Society’s symptom checklist

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