Home Care in University Park, TX – Scientists are Making Strides in Testing for Alzheimer’s While Available Treatments Mostly Unchanged
Medical researchers continue to make enormous strides in the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia; however, treatments are still a long way of halting or reversing this diagnosis for many citizenry.
No medical professional can say for sure someone has Alzheimer’s dementia until that person passes away and the doctor orders an autopsy of the person’s brain. Medical research continues to explore ways in which a patient receives an exact diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia. Most times the diagnosis is correct, but there remains at least a 10% chance on uncertainty.
Signs of small, insignificant matters such as misplacing car keys, money, and questioning familiar surroundings are some of the key factors for early onset Alzheimer’s dementia.
Surveys say that Alzheimer’s is on the increase over the last few years. It is not certain if this is an accurate statement, given the Baby Boomer populace is now aging, which could account for the increase in Alzheimer’s given the increase number of people in this age group.
A conference set in Washington, DC this month for the Neurological community says that a new test analyzing skin samples uses certain antibodies to search for the proteins associated with this neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The protein called tau identifies people with increased levels of the tau protein in their system. This protein forms tangles in the brains of patients with questionable Alzheimer’s dementia. This recent study done on 65 patients was enough to consider testing patients with questionable signs of Alzheimer’s.
If this proves successful, researchers have developed another skin test that measures a protein called kinase C, epsilon levels that destroys the tau proteins. This PKCE level shows a decrease in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia.
This is exciting news for the medical community, as predictions for an Alzheimer’s diagnosis using this exam was 95% accurate. Researchers hope to provide this test for people by the year 2017.
At this current time, doctors are able to offer patients who come to them with a memory loss concern a test called a PET scan or positron emission tomography scan. This test detects any build up of amyloidal plaques in the brain. The single drawback is that this buildup of plaque does not always mean the patient has an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The new PKCE test can rule out what type of dementia the patient is suffering from, thus start treatment through the FDA approved medications suitable for the individual.
These exams provide the doctor very early definitive diagnosis years in advance and initiate the patient on the proper medicine. Currently, by the time medication starts, the patient has full-blown signs of dementia and the damage has already been caused.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in University, TX and the surrounding areas, contact Approved Home Care at 972-658-4001 today.
