Blood test may predict dementia up to 25 years before symptom onset in women

A blood test measuring the levels of the p-tau217 , a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes, could predict the risk of dementia in older women up to 25 years before symptom onset, reports a new study published in JAMA Network Open . Ian McDonough , PhD, associate professor at State University of New York at Binghamton, who was not involved in the study, said, “The study suggests that p-tau217 has good (but not great) predictability of all-cause dementia/MCI.” “The farther out one tries to make predictions, the harder it can be.

By identifying concrete evidence that one’s risk is elevated earlier in life, one can still have time to change one’s lifestyle (e.g., better sleep, less stress, more exercise, more cognitive and social engagement) to reduce that risk for subsequently developing dementia,” he told Medical News Today. The study also showed how factors, such as age, race, and genetic predisposition, influenced the association between p-tau217 levels and the risk of dementia.