Is the first blood test for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease on the horizon?

 

PHILADELPHIA – July 28, 2024 – According to research that was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia on July 28^th, a new blood test can provide earlier and a more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. This could provide a quicker pathway to treatment. The blood test was about 90% accurate in identifying Alzheimer’s disease in patients who have already exhibited early symptoms. The study was performed at Lund University in Sweden. It has just been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The tau protein blood test predicts the likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain. The buildup of tau protein in the blood is felt to be a biomarker that occurs before patients show impairment with the ability to think, learn, remember, use judgement and make decisions. These are the important symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques have been shown to be present in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Reducing the formation of the plaques has been the target of recently approved medical treatments.

The traditional methods used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease is a medical history, mental status tests, physical and neurologic exams, brain imaging, and a lumbar puncture to analyze cerebral spinal fluid. The study reports that without the blood test, primary care physicians can only diagnose the disease with 63% accuracy and neurology specialists are a little better at 73%. More than 1 thousand patients participated in the study.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC – Summertime, 2024 – This is a great time of year to go for a hike in the mountains around Asheville. Hiking provides many health benefits like lowering the risk of heart disease, reducing blood pressure, and strengthening cardiovascular fitness. Hiking can range from a leisurely low-intensity activity to a very strenuous high-intensity workout on mountainous terrain. Many hikers carry supplies like water, food, clothing, and a tent, particularly on longer routes that can last for more than a day. Carrying heavy loads put a greater stress on muscles and joints and increase energy needs and fatigue. Overuse and traumatic injuries can occur with hiking, such as fractures and sprains.

Walking with poles originated in Finland. This activity is time-efficient, low-stress, and a total body workout. It has spread to many countries in Europe and the United States. Hiking with poles is both accessible and cost-effective. The poles are referred to as hiking poles, Nordic walking poles, and trekking poles. They may be made of light aluminum or carbon fiber.

Many people use specially designed trekking poles to help them hike. These hikers feel that the poles help with balance, stability, and offloading their lower extremities. An article published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine in 2020 reviewed the medical literature over the preceding 40 years. This review found that hikers can walk faster with poles. During unloaded walking, trekking poles improved balance, decreased lower extremity loads, when going downhill and on level ground, but required more cardiovascular effort. With carrying higher loads, the poles increased balance and stability when hiking. Poles act as an accessory brake when going downhill and reduce leg muscle activity and leg soreness afterwards. The hikers with loads had a more normal walking pattern though expended more effort. However, there was no difference in cardiovascular effort when compared to hikers not carrying loads. The authors did not find any evidence supporting the use of one pole versus two poles when hiking.

Hiking with poles has also been shown have beneficial health affects for special populations like persons with Parkinson’s disease, obesity, low back pain, and the elderly. In Parkinson and elderly patients, using poles help facilitate a better coordinated gait pattern, better balance, and a faster gait. In obese persons, using poles can offload their lower extremity joints and reduce the risk of the development of osteoarthritis. Hiking with poles can offload the spine and temporarily reduce low back pain in persons suffering from this ailment.

Hiking with poles is an activity that can improve safety, reduce joint stress, give you a better overall workout, and improve endurance in contrast to hiking without poles. The authors concluded that hiking poles should be considered if the hiker has any pre-existent lower extremity conditions or pain. However, persons using trekking poles should understand that the poles will stress their cardiovascular fitness and their upper body more than not using them. You will burn 20% more calories if you use poles; and you will walk faster too.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC – July 31, 2024 – The winter surge of respiratory infections, like COVID-19, has passed. However, over the past 3 years, COVID-19 infections have also surged in August.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on July 20^th shows:  

• 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 2^nd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina, less than 2.0% of all visits.
• Deaths and emergency department visits have increased more than 15% since last week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard was not reported last week.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour