Blood test 'may detect Alzheimer's'

A simple blood test could be used to detect early Alzheimer's, according to scientists.

In a presentation at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Australian researchers revealed that a blood test was approximately 85 per cent accurate at measuring the amount of Alzheimer's-associated plaque in the brain.

The new blood test is designed to detect nine proteins associated with amyloid levels in the brain.

Researcher Samantha Burnham stated that if findings can be replicated on a large scale, "they may lead to an economical screen that indicates whether a person is in the early stages of, or at risk of developing, Alzheimer's."

This test will be of interest to the public, after research revealed that people in Europe and the US are greatly in favour of earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis.

More than 85 per cent of respondents from France, Germany, Spain, Poland and the US said that if they were exhibiting Alzheimer's-like symptoms, they would like to find out if they had the condition.

Find the nearest Barchester care home