Blood Test May Prove Dementia Risk In Later Years

A blood test to assess the risk of dementia in later life has been developed which is considered 90 percent accurate and looks at the probability of a senior person getting dementia in the future. The test looks the level of 10 different lipids that can be found in the blood to assess whether an individual will develop mild cognitive impairment or is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Low level indicators of the lipids may mean that dementia is impending for the patient.

Dr. Howard Federoff, Executive Dean of the Georgetown University School of Medicine, comments on the reliability of the test for predicting an onset of either condition, although there is not a clear correlation between findings and the current understanding of the pathobiology of the disease. The blood test would be a good alternative to current expensive scanning methods such as the MRI.  The study was conducted on 525 healthy individuals, aged 70 years and above.  Participants received neurocognitive testing and blood tests. The test revealed that the 74 individuals who developed signs of early stage Alzheimer’s or dementia had low level lipid counts.  When a genetic test was added to find a mutant version of the "APOE" affiliated to Alzheimer's the reliability of the initial blood test was further confirmed.  The accuracy of this test is important for the development of research to find a cure for Alzheimer's, although as yet there are no effective treatments for Alzheimer's.

That being said Federoff maintains his view that existing medications present potential for the treatment of individuals at risk of developing Alzheimer's. It may be possible to delay progression of the condition or its onset entirely, according to Federoff.  However, results are preliminary and Federoff, and other experts in the field consider further research into lipids a necessity. The findings of this study were published in the Nature Medicine journal on March 9.