Simple blood test that could detect dementia ‘YEARS before symptoms begin’ starts ‘exciting’ trial in NHS clinics
A SIMPLE blood test that could catch dementia before major symptoms start has begun trials in NHS clinics.
More than 3,000 Brits worried about their brain health will be enrolled in the nationwide study.
Scientists hope it will provide real-world evidence needed to bring the cheap and simple tests to the NHS within five years.
Currently, more than a third of people with dementia still lack a formal diagnosis, charities say.
In the UK, diagnosing dementia typically involves mental ability tests, brain scans, or invasive procedures like lumbar punctures, where cerebrospinal fluid is taken from the lower back.
But the NHS does not have enough specialised scanners or trained staff to take a sample of fluid from the spine.
This means patients and their families wait for up to four years to get an appointment and the results.
It’s hoped this blood test will change that.
Stephanie Everill, 67, is one of the first patients to take part in the study, formally called the Blood Biomarker Challenge.
She was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment around a year ago and she struggles with her memory.
Her mum had Alzheimer’s and doctors believe she too may be developing the disease.
“I’m getting quite forgetful,” she said.
“I hope that taking part in this study might mean a faster diagnosis and access to treatments for myself and others in the future”.
Stephanie gave a sample of blood at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, one of 28 clinics and mobile units around the UK taking part in the study.
Scientists from Oxford and Cambridge Universities will analyse the blood for a series of proteins – biomarkers – found in people with dementia in previous research.
They will measure p-tau217 levels to see if it can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia – more quickly, both in people with early dementia and those with mild memory problems.
The research is funded by the Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the People’s Postcode Lottery, among others.
Professor Fiona Carragher, from Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia, but a third of these have not received a diagnosis.
This test could have helped our family
Sophie Evans lost her dad, Vincent, to mixed dementia in 2021.
If he had an earlier diagnosis, Sophie thinks that this would have helped the family manage Vincent’s condition better.
“Our family couldn’t live a functional life because the long journey to a diagnosis and getting the support my dad needed was so difficult.
“Dad started showing symptoms when I was around 15 and he was 60. He’d rewatch programmes over and over, forget to turn the taps off and couldn’t remember why he came into a room.
“We tried to get him to see the doctor, but he didn’t want to go. He said it was stress and that he was fine.
“His hearing started to decline so he blamed things on his poor hearing. Sometimes I’d find him sat crying, or just standing in a room not knowing what he was doing.
“Eventually he was convinced to go to the GP. Then he went for various tests, but it took a long time before he was diagnosed with vascular dementia.
“When he got the diagnosis, he didn’t believe it. If he’d had an earlier diagnosis, I’m certain things would have been easier for us all. He went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease and sadly went downhill very quickly.
“I want to encourage someone who perhaps doesn’t want to get checked out to seek advice from their GP.
“For people who may be struggling to accept their symptoms, a blood test would be helpful in allowing people to come to terms with a diagnosis – you can’t argue with a blood test.
“I would move the earth and beyond to stop just one person going through what we went through.
“Dementia diagnosis needs to be more of an open topic.
“It’s so important to get an early diagnosis so people can manage the condition sooner.
“A blood test to help the diagnosis process would equip people with an early opportunity to get support, and possibly consider taking part in dementia research. Because research is what will get us closer to a cure.”
Credit: Alzheimer’s Research UK
“This is despite us knowing that an early and accurate diagnosis is key to ensuring everyone has access to the treatment, care and support they deserve.
“Blood testing offers the potential to revolutionise dementia diagnosis in the future, so it’s incredibly exciting to see this project coming to life.”
In total, around 900,000 Brits have dementia, with Alzheimer’s responsible for two in three cases. It is the UK’s top killer.
Cases are on the rise, with still no hope of a cure as current medications can only reduce symptoms.
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia - the most common form of which is Alzheimer's - comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn’t belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”