Blood testing for Alzheimer’s could be game changer in early diagnosis

CHARLOTTE — Seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

One in three people over the age of 85 deal with it. Early detection is key, so that people can start treatment.

But unfortunately, diagnosis can involve expensive procedures like a PET scan or a spinal tap.

Researchers say blood testing could be a simple, cost-effective way to detect the disease.

Marsha Balint, 74, is one of dozens of participants in a study at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Balint tells Channel 9 that over the past few years, talking has become more difficult.

“When I would get to a word sometimes I could tell you what it was, what color it was, I could hear in my head, but I couldn’t say the word,” Balint says.

Alzheimer’s patients with cognitive decline undergo blood tests, looking at plasma bio-markers.

Researchers say it could be a game changer in early diagnosis.

Dr. Tharick Pascoal, a UPMC neurologist, is leading a team examining the blood of living patients, looking for a protein called tau.

Experts say they’ve seen a buildup of tau in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

Dr. Pascoal says establishing that biomarker is critical, since symptoms alone -- like memory loss -- aren’t always reliable.

“When you do a purely clinical diagnostic in the best clinics in the country, we may be wrong 20-30 percent of the time,” Dr. Pascoal says.

Blood biomarkers could provide a testing option that’s cheaper and less invasive than a PET scan or spinal tap.

Balint hopes the study gives grandparents like her more time to focus on what -- and who -- they love: “My gosh, if it’s going to help somebody and if it’s going to help me, why wouldn’t i want to do it?”

The Alzheimer’s Association says in certain situations, specialized blood tests like these have been around 90 percent accurate in identifying the disease.

They’re not covered by most insurance plans at this point.

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