2023-08-14 15:43:00
By Melanie Hoffmann, Medical Editor | Aug 14, 2023 at 5:43 p.m
Since Alzheimer’s has not yet been cured, early diagnosis is important. Because early treatment can be crucial in maintaining cognitive abilities for as long as possible and slowing down the progression of the disease. Could an Alzheimer’s test for home use make early diagnosis easier?
A home Alzheimer’s test is now available online in the US; for a corresponding small change: The blood test costs a whopping 399 US dollars. FITBOOK explains how the test is supposed to work, what experts think of it – and whether we in the FITBOOK editorial team would do the test.
What the Alzheimer’s test promises to do at home
Easily do it yourself at home?
The first thing to do is to classify what “at home” actually means in the case of the Alzheimer’s test called “AD-Detect-Test”. As easy to do yourself as e.g. For example, it is not a vitamin D test. With the latter, you simply draw some blood yourself at home, put it on the test strips provided for this purpose, send in the sample and then get the result from the laboratory. The Alzheimer’s test requires a few more steps, including going to an expert.
Like the provider, the American Clinical Laboratory Quest Diagnostics, explains on its website, a private individual can order the test from home. However, it must then be carried out by medical staff at the nearest Quest Diagnostics location. At least you save waiting times for a doctor’s appointment. The patient can see the result online at the Quest-Homepage recall.
The “home Alzheimer’s test” is the same blood test that the company first made available to doctors in 2022.
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Who can purchase the Alzheimer’s test
If you want to use this form of Alzheimer’s test, you must first ensure that you meet at least one of the following criteria before ordering:
Alzheimer’s disease may be present family history of Alzheimer’s disease genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease brain trauma or a head injury and/or suffering from memory loss or early cognitive decline
The test only makes sense in these cases, which is why it can only be purchased then.
What does the “Alzheimer’s At Home Test” test?
In the form of a blood test, the Alzheimer’s test, according to the manufacturer, “measures the A-beta 42 and A-beta 40 biomarkers (a biological marker of a molecule found in the body that can be used to assess a disease state) in the blood and provides the A-beta 42/40 ratio. The relationship between these two molecular biomarkers can help identify a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s.”
In Alzheimer’s research, the said A-beta 42/40 ratio is a way of measuring amyloid-beta proteins in the brain. The amyloid beta protein is linked to the formation of plaques in the brain, which in turn are held responsible for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. That is why the nickname “dementia protein” has become established.
Also interesting: Getting enough sleep slows down the production of protein that causes dementia
What are the benefits of blood tests for diagnosing Alzheimer’s?
The manufacturer believes that its blood tests represent a major step towards better early detection of cognitive disorders. Their great advantage is that the biomarkers measured in the blood make it clear whether it is Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
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What an Alzheimer’s expert thinks of it
This is exactly where the criticism of an Alzheimer’s expert comes in. She concedes that the Alzheimer’s test can measure biomarkers of cognitive decline. However, that does not mean that dementia or Alzheimer’s will develop in every case. When asked by the medical news site, Rebecca Edelmayer, Senior Director of Scientific Engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, said:MedPageToday“: “There are no large-scale, long-term clinical studies to support the idea that the AD-Detect test can predict whether a non-cognitively impaired person will become a cognitively impaired person. So it’s unclear what the results of this test say regarding your Alzheimer’s risk or health condition.”
Blood tests that have been tested for Alzheimer’s detection are already promising, but in her opinion they are not yet mature or reliable study results are missing. “As such, the Alzheimer’s Association does not endorse the use of AD-Detect by consumers,” the expert said. “We are asking Quest to explore a path to FDA approval (US Food and Drug Administration approval; a.d. R) that rigorously demonstrates the value of this test to clinicians and patients as part of the diagnostic process.”
Alzheimer’s blood test also available in Germany?
Since this specific Alzheimer’s blood test is currently only available from the aforementioned US provider and you have to go to one of their locations in person to have it carried out, it is not available to consumers in Germany. The company has only a few locations outside the USA, for example in Ireland and India – although it is not known whether the Alzheimer’s test can also be carried out there.
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FITBOOK editors ask themselves: Would we do the test?
Contra
“Would I want to do the Alzheimer’s test myself?”
“Would I want to know that I am at high risk for this serious illness – or even key indicators that are already the preliminary stage? The question I have to answer for myself is this: How drastic would the answer be for my life? My answer would be: it would have absolutely no effect if it were negative; I would just get on with my relatively healthy life. However, if the test result was positive – meaning I was confronted with the fact that I might develop this potentially fatal disease in the future – I would probably find it hard to bear the certainty.
I would think regarding it every day, it would probably always make me very sad and unsettled; because with every forgotten key I would probably think: Is it already time? There was also the (then justified) fear that I might have passed the disease on to my son. So my answer is: I don’t want to know. Even if this means that opportunities to deal with the whole thing in good time may be lost. The argument to ensure certainty in relation to Alzheimer’s – and if necessary to take preventive action – weighs weaker for me. Instead, I generally try to lead a healthy lifestyle, which, among other things, also reduces the risk of dementia: I (mostly) eat very healthily, don’t smoke, do sports, drink alcohol only occasionally and help my father-in-law with the crossword puzzles.” Anna Echtermeyer, editor at FITBOOK
Contra
“Rather nothing for me, but maybe helpful for older relatives?”
“My first thought was: Great, an Alzheimer’s test that gives certainty early on. The test isn’t quite that far, and even if it were: Would I really want to know? I think early detection and prevention are very important, but at the same time I don’t want to overdo it and get into a kind of panic when it comes to my health and, above all, my health future. Who knows what’s going to happen? And I would rather enjoy my life responsibly than worry. However, it might also be that in my late 30s I’m still too young for this question. It may well be that in ten or 20 years I will think differently regarding it.
While I personally don’t (yet) see any benefit in an Alzheimer’s test, I might well imagine that it might help older relatives or people close to me. I mean people who may be showing early signs of cognitive decline or even dementia, but cannot dare or bring themselves to see a doctor. For them, an Alzheimer’s test that is not officially carried out immediately by a doctor they have known for many years might lower the hurdle to getting tested. If this test indicated that a cognitive decline might be present, the next step – namely going to the doctor you trust – might be easier. Which in turn might often be a relief for the caring relatives.” Melanie Hoffmann, Editor at FITBOOK
Pro
“I would like to know”
“Even if Alzheimer’s is not (yet) curable, I would be interested to know what my test result looks like. Maybe not now, but in my mid-50s and older. And of course on the premise that the test delivers valid results, which does not seem to be the case at the moment. If it were negative, that would calm me down. With a result that points to a possible illness, I might have the chance to take countermeasures even more intensively with an appropriate lifestyle. I don’t think of myself as panicking or depressed regarding a likely illness. Rather, I hope to be able to settle a few things before we are no longer able to do so, so that family members can also be relieved. In addition, I might imagine becoming a test subject in a scientific study for further research into Alzheimer’s in this case. Then your own fate would still have meaning.” Alexandra Grauvogl, Editor-in-Chief FITBOOK
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