FINDINGS presented at AAIC 2024 indicate that the introduction of high-performing blood tests in primary care settings could significantly accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly for those in the early stages.
Approved AD treatments, such as those targeting amyloid-beta plaques in the brain, are currently approved for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s dementia. Diagnosis requires confirmation of amyloid-beta pathology, typically through PET imaging or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, which often relies on costly, invasive, and limited availability of specialist consultations. These bottlenecks can lead to patients frequently encountering long wait times for diagnosis, delaying access to treatment. A study utilized a forecasting model to project the impact of incorporating high-performing blood tests into the diagnostic process on wait times.
The model examined two scenarios for the USA population aged 55 and older from 2023–2032. In the first scenario, primary care clinicians made referrals to Alzheimer’s specialists solely based on brief cognitive tests. In the second scenario, the decision to refer was supplemented by results from a high-performance blood test designed to detect early-stage cognitive impairment.
The study’s findings revealed that if primary care providers relied only on cognitive assessments, the average wait time to determine eligibility for new Alzheimer’s treatments could extend to nearly six years (70 months) by 2033. In contrast, incorporating blood tests could reduce this wait time to approximately 13 months, as fewer patients would require specialist referrals. Furthermore, if blood tests were used alongside cognitive assessments to rule in potential Alzheimer’s diagnoses, the wait time could drop to under 6 months, significantly easing the current strain on diagnostic services.
Director of the Brain Health Observatory and study lead Soeren Mattke, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA, concluded, “Our results suggest that the use of blood tests could dramatically improve the timeliness of treatment for people with early Alzheimer’s.” Mattke added that a simple blood test could help reduce the number of patients missing the window for effective treatment due to delays in diagnosis. These findings underscore the potential of blood tests to improve Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis by making it more accessible and efficient, ultimately ensuring that more patients receive timely treatment during the critical early stages of the disease.
Laith Gergi | EMJ
Reference
Alzheimer’s Association International Conference®. Alzheimer’s Disease Blood Tests Could Improve Diagnosis in Primary Care, Speed Recruiting for Research and Reduce Wait Times. 2024. Available at: https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2024/blood-tests-alzheimers-biomarkers.asp. Last accessed: August 15 2024.
