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Tuesday, December 15th, 2020

First blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s goes public

Author:    
Source:     Axios
Publication Date:     Nov 30, 2020
 Link: First blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s goes public
Stephan:   All of us know someone whose life has been destroyed by their slipping away into Alzheimer's. And although medicine does not yet know how to stop this disease, it does know that the sooner you can diagnose Alzheimer's the more likely medicine is to be able to hold it at bay so that people can continue to live near-normal lives. The problem has been the only way to really make such an early diagnosis has been with a PET scan, and they cost thousands of dollars. Because we only have an illness profit system in the U.S. those without medical insurance or inadequate insurance, have been unable to get a PET scan.  But now there has been a breakthrough and this is very good news. Here's the story.
 Alzheimers Research Lab Credit: Jerry Naunheim Jr./C2N Diagnostics/AP

A non-COVID medical breakthrough: People over 60 now have access to a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease.

Why it matters: The existing PET brain scan test costs some people about $5,000 and often isn’t covered by insurance, AP reports.

  • Both the blood test and the brain scan are looking for a buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid, which combined with symptoms like memory loss can lead to a dementia diagnosis.
  • The test hasn’t received FDA approval, and it’s being sold under rules for commercial labs.

The big picture: Roughly 5.5 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s-induced dementia, the NIH reports.

  • Earlier diagnoses can’t stop the disease, the NIH notes, but treatments can prolong the period before people lose the ability to function on their own.

Between the lines: C2N Diagnostics of St. Louis, which is selling the test and seeking FDA approval, hasn’t published any data on the test’s accuracy, AP notes.

  • Company promotional materials cite results comparing the test to PET brain scans.
  • If a PET scan showed amyloid […]
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