Blood Test May Help Doctors Quickly Diagnose Alzheimer's Earlier Than Ever

Scientists have made another major stride toward diagnosing Alzheimer's disease with a blood test

The test could cost between $200 and $1,250, depending on the company.

Scientists have made another major stride toward the long-sought goal of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease with a simple blood test. A new study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, has found that a blood test can accurately detect Alzheimer's disease with 90% accuracy.

The test, which is not yet FDA-approved, measures the levels of a protein called amyloid-beta in the blood. Amyloid-beta is a sticky protein that clumps together to form plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. The new blood test can detect these plaques even before they cause symptoms.

The test is not covered by insurance or Medicare, but at $1,250 the cost is slightly lower than imaging tests like PET scans. The test is also much less invasive than PET scans, which require patients to be injected with a radioactive tracer.

The new blood test could be a major breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. It could help doctors to diagnose the disease earlier, when it is more treatable. It could also help to identify people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, so that they can take steps to reduce their risk.