A single blood test may be able to predict when a person will develop Alzheimer’s symptoms—years before memory loss begins—according to new research from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.
Jake Heinrichs is a Broadway theater electrician from Brooklyn who carries one of the early-onset genes. The disease claimed his grandmother, uncle, father and brother, all within the same age range. “Symptoms in the 40s and, and dying in 50s,” he said.
Carrie Richardson, 44, inherited a genetic mutation that caused early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She’s participating in an Alzheimer’s research study at Washington University School of Medicine.
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Among members of the Richardson family who carry a mutation in the PSEN1 gene, the average age when symptoms start is 39
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The new test could also help confirm whether Alzheimer’s or another condition is causing a person’s symptoms.
New tests of blood and spinal fluid can show how far Alzheimer’s has progressed and how fast a patient’s memory will decline.