An important part of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease includes being able to explain your symptoms. It may help to get input from a close family member or friend about your symptoms and their impact on your daily life. Tests of memory and thinking skills also help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
Yes, there are blood tests available to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, and some have received FDA clearance. These tests measure specific biomarkers, like proteins associated with amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are hallmarks of the disease in the brain. The FDA-cleared Lumipulse G Plasma Ratio test is the first of its kind to be approved for use in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, specifically for adults 55 and older showing cognitive symptoms.
Blood and imaging tests can rule out other potential causes of your symptoms. They also can check for proteins in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The tests may help your healthcare team better identify the disease-causing dementia symptoms.
In the past, Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed for certain only after death when plaques and tangles were found while looking at the brain with a microscope. Today, healthcare professionals and researchers can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease during life with more certainty.
They do this by using a combination of tests that may include tests for biomarkers. Biomarkers can detect if plaques and tangles are present in the brain. Biomarker tests include specific types of positron emission tomography, also known as PET, scans of the brain. Amyloid and tau proteins also can be measured in the fluid part of the blood or in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, known as cerebrospinal fluid. Recently, blood biomarker tests have become accurate enough to tell if someone is likely to have amyloid in the brain.
Biomarker tests were mainly used in clinical trials until recently. But healthcare professionals have started using them along with other tests to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Biomarker tests also can let healthcare professionals know if the disease is in the early or later stages.
Tests
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease would likely include the following tests:
Physical and neurological exam
A healthcare professional gives you a physical and neurological exam. This may include testing:
- Reflexes.
- Muscle tone and strength.
- Ability to get up from a chair and walk across the room.
- Sense of sight and hearing.
- Coordination.
- Balance. **
**The source of this article is from the Mayo Clinic. We at Personal Senior Care Homes provide the best residential care for our residents. We know this is vitally important to them and their families. Please contact me directly for a tour of our home Steve Brock 513-505-5018.