Alzheimer's blood test can spot protein linked with disease

Added: 2026-06-08

[00:00:00]THE CDC SAYS THE RISK TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC REMAINS VERY LOW.

[00:00:05]MORE THAN 7 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, WHILE A SEARCH FOR A CURE CONTINUES, THERE IS NOW A TEST TO HELP DOCTORS CATCH THE SICKNESS EVEN EARLIER.

[00:00:16]HERE’S DR. BARRY RAMO.

[00:00:18]WHEN A PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER FINDS A PATIENT WITH SOME DEGREE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE OR MEMORY LOSS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER’S SO THE PATIENT CAN GET TO A MORE SOPHISTICATED AREA.

[00:00:29]IT WOULD BE NICE IF A BLOOD TEST WERE AVAILABLE TO TELL WHETHER OR NOT ALZHEIMER’S WAS PRESENT.

[00:00:36]AND NOW THE FDA HAS RELEASED SUCH A BLOOD TEST.

[00:00:39]THIS TEST IS HIGHLY ACCURATE.

[00:00:41]IT TELLS WHETHER OR NOT THE PROTEIN SEEN IN THE BRAIN FOUND IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OR IN A PET SCAN, ARE PRESENT IN THIS BLOOD TEST, THEY FOUND THAT MORE THAN 92% OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD POSITIVE TESTS HAD EVIDENCE OF ALZHEIMER’S IN THEIR BRAIN SCANS.

[00:00:59]ADDITIONALLY, THOSE WHO HAD A NEGATIVE TEST 97% OF THE TIME, THEY WERE TRULY NEGATIVE.

[00:01:04]NOW, THE TEST IS NOT PERFECT.

[00:01:06]SOMETIMES INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE THESE CHANGES, BUT IN FACT WILL NEVER GO ON TO HAVE ALZHEIMER’S.

[00:01:11]BUT IT IS HELPFUL IN RULING OUT THE DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER’S SO THE DOCTORS CAN LOOK FOR ANOTHER POSSIB