New Criteria For Alzheimer's Diagnosis Proposed

Millions of people are suffering from Alzheimer'sAlzheimer's disease. Now more emphasis will be given
disease in the US. And, doctors know that to slow theto the different stages of the disease and also there
progress of the disease and control the debilitatingwill be more focus on the biomarkers of the disease.
symptoms, early diagnosis is mandatory. So, it shouldHowever, there is still some concern about the
not come as a surprise that finally after a period of 25biomarkers as their roles are different in each stage of
years, a proposal has been put forward to update theAlzheimer's. Even now, researchers and doctors do
criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.not understand everything about the reliability and the
The United States National Institute on Aging and thevalidity of the biomarkers when it comes to diagnosing
Alzheimer's Association had formed 3 work groupsthe disease. Therefore, any new recommendation will
that drafted out the update, which lays more emphasisbe thoroughly tested before being enforced.
on different stages of the disease. While the criteriaThe main reason for updating the criteria for
mentioned in the draft proposal are being used,diagnosing Alzheimer's disease is that researchers
medicine and medical technology has come a longhave now found out that the disease actually begins
way since the criteria were developed in the yearyears before the symptoms become noticeable.
1984. Therefore, the changes were bound to happenToday, Alzheimer's is being diagnosed using genetic
sooner or later as more information is being foundanalysis and biomarkers, which can be checked via
about Alzheimer's.MRI or PET scans. Also, the cerebrospinal fluid is being
This new proposal is all set to change the old criteriatested for the presence of phosphor tau and tau
that were being used to identify and diagnosemolecules.