A simple blood test detecting a specific protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease may help predict future cognitive decline in older adults up to a decade before any noticeable symptoms appear, according to a new study.The Harvard-led research, presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London and simultaneously published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, could transform how doctors assess dementia risk and help patients prepare for the disease.By measuring a blood biomarker called p-tau217, which tracks the build-up of damaging proteins in the brain, clinicians may soon be able to assess Alzheimer's risk much like they use cholesterol tests to estimate heart disease risk, researchers say.ALZHEIMER'S BLOOD TESTS MAY PREDICT SYMPTOMS YEARS IN ADVANCE, BUT EXPERTS URGE CAUTIONIn one of the largest analyses of its kind, researchers tracked nearly 2,700 cognitively healthy adults averaging 70 years of age for up to a decade.A simple blood test measuring the p-tau217 protein could predict future cognitive decline in symptom-free older adults up to 10 years before any noticeable memory problems begin.(iStock)They found that symptom-free individuals with very high levels of p-tau217 had an estimated 78% chance of developing cognitive impairment within 10 years, and a roughly one in three chance within five years.
Even those with moderately elevated levels faced a 45% risk over a decade.The p-tau217 protein is a modified form of tau, which forms tangles in the brain and is associated with memory loss.The blood test provided information beyond what standard brain scans and genetic testing can offer, according to the researchers.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESRachel Buckley, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said the findings provide some of the clearest evidence yet that dementia risk can be detected years before memory problems begin.Even individuals with only moderate...