Blood test offers hope of detecting Alzheimer's in patients quicker and easier

NEW blood test for Alzheimer’s disease can accurately detect people with early symptoms, research suggests.

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Experts from the Mayo Clinic in the US have provided further evidence that blood tests can work to accurately diagnose dementia, by examining two proteins in blood plasma.

These proteins - amyloid beta 42/40 and p-tau217 - are associated with amyloid plaque build-up, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers found the blood test was highly accurate, with 95% sensitivity, which means it was 95% accurate in picking up people with memory problems, with very few cases missed.

It was also 82% for specificity, which means it was also highly accurate in ruling out people without dementia.

The study was carried out on more than 500 people in an outpatient memory clinic, meaning it is real-world data.

The blood test has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration regulator in the US.

Dr Gregg Day, who led the study in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia journal, said the test was as good as more invasive tests currently in use.

"Our study found that blood testing affirmed the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with 95% sensitivity and 82% specificity," he said.