Researchers at two universities in the UK are joining forces to try to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers aim to find out whether ‘biomarkers’ in the blood could be used to identify someone with the disease, which currently affects over 35,000 people in Ireland.

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. It is a progressive and irreversible disease of the brain, characterised by loss of intellectual function, chronic memory loss, language deterioration and personality change.

Currently, identification of Alzheimer’s is difficult and a delay in diagnosis can lead to irreversible brain damage before treatment even begins.

A biomarker is a term for something present in the body which can indicate disease, such as a certain protein or molecule. The UK researchers will be identifying biomarkers by looking at proteins in the blood of Alzheimer patients, compared to a control group of healthy older people.

“A reliable accurate test to identify affected individuals would mean future treatments could be given much earlier when drugs are likely to be most effective. It would also give people with dementia and their families more time to prepare and plan for the future,” explained Prof Kevin Morgan of the University of Nottingham.

News of the new research comes ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day, which takes place on September 21 and aims to raise awareness about the reality of living with the condition.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease, click on…http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/alzheim/index.html