Detecting the early
onset of Alzheimer's disease will be able to help hundreds of thousands of
patients around the globe, and it's a lot more easily done than you'd think.
All doctors will need to do a test is a patient's saliva, it's that easy.
The Progress with the
New Test
Doctors are already
able to look at the difference between a brain that is affected by the disease
and a healthy one, but they were never able to determine whether or not the
disease would onset early.
During the 2015
Alzheimer's Association International Conference located in Washington, this
saliva test was presented. During initial research, the test using saliva is
representing a future of diagnostic tools when it comes to the development in
detection for the neurodegenerative disease.
Heather Snyder, the
director of both scientific and medical operations in the Alzheimer's
Association, had this to say on the topic of the saliva test;
"As the field has
continued to mature over the last decade or so, we now have research and
evidence that suggests that the underlying biology of Alzheimer's disease is
changing a decade or more before someone experiences the memory or function
changes associated with Alzheimer's. This test examines saliva samples and
looks at changes in saliva as the potential way to detect changes in
Alzheimer's."
Shraddha Sapkota, a
graduate student in neuroscience from the University of Alberta, Canada, had
this to say when the study was presented;
Salivary metabolomics
analyses will advance the cause of early detection of Alzheimer's disease, and
promote our understanding of the mechanisms from normal aging to Alzheimer's.
Saliva is very easy to collect and transport, which will enhance participation
in remote centers and diverse populations. In science, the key is replication.
The study has to be replicated, and it has to be replicated in a larger
population."
The Bountiful Benefits
of the Test
Because this
progressive brain disorder affects approximately five million Americans, and is
the sixth leading cause of death, this test is exciting for the science world
and will save lives. Though there are no tests to determine fully if a person
will get Alzheimer's disease, the saliva test will be the perfect place to
start, as a screening tool.
It will indicate
whether or not a patient should receive more invasive testing, and will be the
perfect test to bring into community and clinical settings.