Scientists make alarming new Alzheimer’s discovery

• A pioneering study indicates Alzheimer’s disease is significantly more prevalent among individuals over 85 than previously understood.
• The research found that over 10 per cent of people aged 70 and above would meet the criteria for drugs capable of slowing the early stages of the condition.
• The study, which analysed 11,486 blood samples, utilised a simple blood test to identify biomarkers linked to dementia, highlighting the critical importance of early detection.
• Experts described Alzheimer’s as a "global challenge," stressing the vital need to detect signs of dementia at the earliest possible stages.
• While antibody treatments like donanemab and lecanemab are licensed in the UK, they are not currently available on the NHS due to cost-benefit concerns, though a trial for blood tests on the health service is underway.

IN FULL

Breakthrough Alzheimer’s blood test could diagnose disease earlier