New FDA approved blood test may give early detection to dementia

Early detection of dementia might come from blood test

Dr. Bernick says the blood test is for adults over the age of 55 who are showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

FOX 2 - It's a degenerative brain disease and the most common cause of dementia - there's no cure for Alzheimer's but there are some treatments that might change the progression of the disease.

And now a new blood test just approved by the FDA might help with early diagnosis. 

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"The new blood test that's available for Alzheimer's disease is actually measuring a chemical that comes out of the brain," said Dr. Charles Bernick, Cleveland Clinic. "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 actually very early in the disease process."

Bernick says the blood test is for adults over the age of 55 who are showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

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

Bernick says 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.

"It could be strokes, it 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."

Bernick adds that the blood test could also speed up the process of finding the right participants for a clinical trial - and that in turn could lead to quicker development of potential medication.