Trials raise hopes of blood test to diagnose dementia
A SIMPLE blood test could be developed to detect Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, a study has found.
Using infrared lasers to measure the vibrations in atoms in the blood, researchers identified Alzheimer’s with an accuracy of 70% to 85%.
The University of Central Lancashire trial also identified DLB, a type of dementia that shares symptoms with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with 90% accuracy. The team said the “progressive ageing” of the world’s population meant that “an accurate, but inexpensive and minimally invasive, diagnostic test” was “urgently required”. Dr David Reynolds, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the study was “promising”. But he added: “There’s a long road ahead before it could be used routinely to diagnose patients.”