Can Alzheimer's Be Predicted Before It Begins? Scientists Say They're Close

New tests can predict Alzheimer's disease much before patients get the illness, in order to help them anticipate and plan for what they need to do, and also so that some "experimental treatments" may lead to better results if they are used fast, according to nbcnews.

However, the illness is not easy to detect. Although doctors can base a diagnosis on symptoms displayed, other brain injuries, including "stroke", can lead to symptoms such as memory loss. Most patients are never given specific treatment, the Alzheimer's Association says.

The faster it is detected, the more quickly it can be treated, say researchers at a conference. "The disease doesn't start when the memory problems become apparent," said Dr. William Klunk, a neurology professor at the University of Pittsburgh and an adviser to the Alzheimer's Association.

About 189 middle-aged people who started normally began to be traced as possible patients by Marilyn Albert, who directs the Alzheimer's Research Center at Johns Hopkins University. With six tests, she could predict who would develop mild cognitive impairment in five years, through the help of genetics and "a spinal tap to measure two proteins associated with Alzheimer's: amyloid and tau, MRI scans to watch for brain shrinkage, and standard tests of memory", according to nbcnews.

"Some people have been followed for almost 20 years," she told a news conference.

She explained that the new research could help drug companies that are exploring preventive drugs, she said. More tests that can be used include blood tests.

"Earlier diagnosis or, better still, the ability to predict the onset of Alzheimer's, would significantly increase the window of opportunity a person with Alzheimer's has to formulate an informed response to the news and empower them to be an active participant in decision-making while they still have the ability," Carrillo added.

Even a saliva test could help to detect Alzheimer's. Shraddha Sapkota and colleagues at the University of Alberta in Canada used liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to identify compounds in the spittle of those who might later contract Alzheimer's. Even though the study is small, involving just a 100 people, they found higher levels of six compounds in people who later developed the disease.

"That could be a test in the mall someday, if it was developed enough," Klunk said.

The Alzheimer's Association says 5.3 million Americans have the disease, including 200,000 people under the age of 65.

"Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number will rise to 13.8 million by 2050," the association clarifies.

Two-thirds of the people who develop the disease are women.