One in eight California baby boomers who reach age 55 will develop Alzheimer's Disease by the year 2030, that's according to the Alzheimer's Association. Will you be one of them?
You may soon be able to find out early. "We were able to find a good blood test that predicted people who were at risk for cognitive impairment," says Kristine Yaffe, ucsf neurology, psychiatry professor.
At UCSF, lead researcher Dr. Kristine Yaffe studied nearly a thousand older people without dementia for nine years.
She found that those with very low levels of a certain type of protein in their blood showed significant cognitive declines compared with people who had higher levels of the protein.
The question now is would you get a similar blood test if it was offered at your doctor's office in the future? "Absolutely because one needs to know what the possibilities are in the future so you know you can have options or make plans," says Antonio Savala, San Francisco.
The study also indicates high risk patients might be able to do something to fight off the symptoms of the brain ravaging disease. "So lets say you got this blood test and it shows that you're at risk, it's theoretically possible that one could be more cognitively active, try and use the brain more and take advantage of the brain's plasticity so that you might not have as much decline over time," says Yaffe.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but if an accurate blood test can lead to early detection, patients may find greater hope in their golden years.
