A blood test can predict Alzheimer’s

US researchers from Georgetown University in Washington DC have revealed that a blood test can accurately forecast the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. People suffering from advanced forms of Alzheimer’s who are staying in expert care homes in Oxford and around the world are among those who could have benefited from this new form of early …

US researchers from Georgetown University in Washington DC have revealed that a blood test can accurately forecast the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

People suffering from advanced forms of Alzheimer’s who are staying in expert care homes in Oxford and around the world are among those who could have benefited from this new form of early diagnosis of the disease, according to research by scientists.

The research found that, by testing levels of 10 fats in the blood, scientists could predict the risk of Alzheimer’s developing in the next three years. The new blood test method is also reportedly up to 90 percent accurate.

The scientists took blood from a total of 525 people over the age of 70. They then analysed 53 samples of blood from people who developed Alzheimer’s and compared these to blood from 53 people who stayed mentally agile.

Their findings, which were published on the Nature Medicine website, will now undergo further clinical testing.

If the blood test and research is proven to help identify the onset of Alzheimer’s then it may be rolled out internationally.

Image Credit: Iqbal Osman (flickr.com)