A method has been found to detect Alzheimer"s disease before symptoms appear

Breakthrough in Alzheimer's diagnosis: a simple blood test can detect the disease long before symptoms appear

A revolutionary discovery by Spanish scientists could completely change the approach to diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) found that a regular blood test for the p-tau217 biomarker can predict the development of the disease with high accuracy even at the asymptomatic stage. The results of this crucial study were published in the prestigious scientific journal Neurology.

The large-scale study covered 731 participants with various cognitive statuses. By observing volunteers for approximately 10 years, scientists established that the level of p-tau217 protein in blood plasma not only signals the presence of Alzheimer's disease but also allows predicting the rate of its progression.

Until now, Alzheimer's diagnosis required complex and expensive procedures – a lumbar puncture to analyze cerebrospinal fluid or PET scanning of the brain. Now, according to researchers, the blood test for p-tau217 offers a non-invasive and economically accessible alternative, applicable both in clinical practice and in large-scale scientific projects.

P-tau217 is a "toxic" form of tau protein directly associated with neurodegeneration processes. Researchers note that the concentration of p-tau217 consistently increases, starting from the preclinical stages of dementia and reaching its maximum in the pronounced form of Alzheimer's disease.

This discovery takes on special significance in light of the emergence of innovative methods for treating Alzheimer's disease, including medications capable of slowing its progression. An accurate and accessible method for determining the stage of the disease can significantly help doctors in making timely clinical decisions and developing individualized therapeutic strategies.