New Way to Test for Alzheimer's Disease
Posted on: Wednesday, 17 September 2003, 06:00 CDT
Ratio of biochemicals in spinal fluid helps diagnose condition
HealthDayNews -- Determining the ratio of two biochemicals in a person's spinal fluid may help doctors evaluate patients with dementia and diagnose Alzheimer's disease.
That's what Swiss researchers report in the Sept. 15 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
The study found the ratio of the phosphorylated tau protein to beta-amyloid peptide42 was much higher in patients with Alzheimer's and was accurate in distinguishing patients with Alzheimer's from healthy people without the disease and patients with non-Alzheimer's dementias and other neurological disorders.
The researchers examined cerebrospinal fluid from 100 people who had a diagnostic evaluation for dementia and from 31 healthy people who served as controls for the study.
The study notes that diagnosing Alzheimer's and distinguishing it from other dementias relies heavily on a doctor's judgment.
Diagnostic accuracy of Alzheimer's is less than 80 percent to 90 percent accurate, particularly in the early stages of the disease. The process of diagnosing the disease can be lengthy and costly.
The authors conclude this method of testing may provide a promising tool for diagnosing Alzheimer's. They write that its usefulness may be further evaluated in clinical settings.
-----
On the Net:
More science, space, and technology from RedNova
Copyright © 2003 HealthDay. All rights reserved. The information contained above is intended for general reference purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment. Medical information changes rapidly and while Yahoo and its content providers make efforts to update the content on the site, some information may be out of date. No health information on Yahoo, including information about herbal therapies and other dietary supplements, is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor.
Related Articles
- Independent Study Corroborates Prana's Strategy to Treat Alzheimer's Disease Patients.
- Seventy Percent of Newly Diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease Patients Do Not Receive Treatment Within a Year of Diagnosis
- The Lancet Neurology Publishes Clinical Results of PBT2 in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Gamma Secretase Modulators Show Promise in Alzheimer's Disease Animal Model Efficacy Studies, According to Research Conducted By TorreyPines Therapeutics
- Prana Announces Completion of Phase IIa Trial of PBT2 in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Role in Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease Patients Shifts From Neurologists to Primary Care Physicians and Psychiatrists in Long-Term Care Market, According to Study By GfK Market Measures
- Prana Provides Update on Phase IIa PBT2 Trial in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- PBT2 Phase IIa Clinical Trial in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Statin Drug Potential for Alzheimer's Disease Bolstered By Recent Studies
- Predix Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Findings From First Clinical Trial in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds