“A Simple Blood Test may Detect Alzheimer’s Disease, say Swiss Researchers”

Published on : 20/04/2023 – 01:18

With our correspondent in Geneva, Jeremiah Lance

Detect un Alzheimer often requires going through several examinations. Sometimes invasive, such as lumbar puncture. Sometimes very expensive, like tomography. Quite the opposite of the blood test.

The principle is simple: it consists of looking for the presence of biomarkers typical of Alzheimer’s in the blood plasma. ” Biomarkers are present up to fifteen years before the very first memory symptoms », specifies Giovanni Frisoni, director of the memory center of the University Hospitals of Geneva and coordinator of the study carried out with the University of Geneva. ” The advantage is that the patient and the family understand what is happening and they manage to manage it. Approaches are known to be more effective in earlier phases “, explains the scientist.

Warning signal

The presence of biomarkers does not mean that the patient will necessarily develop Alzheimer’s within fifteen years. But this should be seen as a warning signal. It now remains to move from the search box to the practical box. ” If you go to your doctor, asking him for blood biomarkers, he sends you packing. It’s not yet in clinical practice, but in two years it will be available to any doctor. », added Giovanni Frisoni.

The blood test is not the only track considered by the researchers. A few years ago, the University Hospitals of Geneva also showed that there is a link between Alzheimer’s disease and the presence of certain bacteria in our intestine.

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