Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease Detection: The Promise of Early Diagnosis

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes people to lose their memory and eventually their ability to do easy, everyday tasks. Approximately 5.7 million Americans have this disease, and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. In 20 years, it is predicted that 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease(2018).

Alzheimer’s Disease: A Looming Crisis

Unfortunately, there isn’t one drug to treat this disease due to its complexity. However, current approaches include the management of behavior and maintaining mental function(2016). In January 2019, CNN released an article claiming that blood tests can detect Alzheimer’s up to 16 years before symptoms occur.

This article explains how researchers started measuring the level of NfL, neurofilament light chain (a protein in the blood), to see if any rise in the level of NfL could lead to disease. Basically, NfL is a marker for nerve cell loss in the brain, and the more of the NfL you have, the more damage you have. Based on this, a research team under Mathias Jucker went on to conduct a test of NfL levels of 405 individuals with dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s. This study has been going on for seven years now, and the results show that NfL is a good predictor of brain development.

However, the article goes on to explain that this method isn’t really new. They do this kind of test to tell people that they have cancer as well. Also, NfL levels increase if there is brain damage from an injury/accident. Therefore, this test isn’t just for diagnosing Alzheimer’s. There has also been previous research in hopes of detecting Alzheimer’s in the early stages. In 2014, a team of researchers used a blood test to look at ten specific lipids in people’s blood, and the results were that they were able to predict Alzheimer’s prior to any symptoms (Avramova, 2019).

Conclusion

This new research is extremely important in the process of trying to find a treatment for Alzheimer’s before it develops into dementia. Although there is a long way to go, every step matters, and this research is a big step in the right direction. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that not only affects the person who is diagnosed but also their families. The Alzheimer’s Association estimated that nearly 17 billion hours of unpaid care is provided by 15 million caregivers(Allied Services 2018). This disease also causes a lot of physical, emotional, and financial stress to loved ones. Unfortunately, the disease is expected to skyrocket over the next few years; therefore, a cure is needed now(Cirillo, 2011). This new blood test research will hopefully lead to finding a treatment prior to the start of symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Works Cited

1. Avramova, Nina. “Blood Test Could Detect Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms Begin.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 Jan. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/health/alzheimers-detected-blood-test-study-intl/index.html.
2. Cirillo, Anthony. “Why Is Alzheimer’s Disease Research Important? | Alzheimer’s Disease.” Sharecare, 29 Nov. 2011, www.sharecare.com/health/alzheimers-disease/why-alzheimers-disease-research-important.
3. “Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet.” National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 17 Aug. 2016, www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet#treating.
4. “Facts and Figures.” Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Association, 2018, www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures.
5. “The Importance of Alzheimer’s Awareness.” Allied Services, 27 Nov. 2018, www.allied-services.org/the-importance-of-alzheimers-awarness/.