It is 91% accurate.
A newly developed blood test known as APS2 (Amyloid Probability Score 2) has shown improved accuracy in diagnosing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease compared to conventional evaluations by doctors. Recent research indicates that APS2 can identify Alzheimer’s with 91% accuracy in patients exhibiting mild cognitive impairment or early dementia, whereas primary care physicians only achieved a 61% accuracy rate for the same group.
The APS2 test analyzes the levels of two critical proteins linked to Alzheimer’s: tau tangles and amyloid plaques. Although it has not yet received approval for routine clinical use, Dr. Teresa Amato from Northwell Health has praised its potential as a valuable preliminary diagnostic tool due to its high accuracy.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, the study underscores APS2’s potential to transform Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Experts in dementia have emphasized the need for a reliable blood test to aid primary care physicians in making early and accurate diagnoses.
Created by Dr. Sebastian Palmquist and his team at Skane University Hospital and Lund University in Sweden, the APS2 test has outperformed both general practitioners and dementia specialists in terms of diagnostic accuracy. Despite its promising results, there are still concerns regarding the test’s cost, FDA approval status, and whether it might be surpassed by other new tests in the future. While APS2 offers significant potential, it should not be used as the sole method for diagnosing Alzheimer’s, given the complexity of the disease and the possibility that other conditions could present similar symptoms.
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