Early detection of Alzheimer’s crucial, researchers say

  • By Susan Schrock Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  • Monday, March 24, 2014 6:15pm
  • Life

ARLINGTON, Texas — Twice in six months, Bobbie Wilburn walked home from the grocery store because her car had been stolen.

It hadn’t. She just couldn’t remember where she parked.

Those incidents and others in an escalating series of memory lapses and questionable judgment calls led the family to take away Wilburn’s car keys, disconnect her oven and stove, and eventually decide that she could no longer live alone safely, said her daughter, Barrie Page Hill, of Arlington, Texas.

Wilburn, 79, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about six years ago, now lives with Hill’s family and requires constant care.

“It was excruciating for us. I’ve always seen my mom as the lady who could do anything,” Hill said.

There is no known cure. But researchers, including those at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, are developing blood tests designed to help doctors more quickly detect Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and mild cognitive impairment such as Parkinson’s disease.

Advance detection helps patients begin taking better care of themselves, researchers say, and such breakthroughs will boost efforts to develop medications to delay or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s.

“In the Alzheimer’s world, we don’t detect the disease until it’s pretty advanced. If someone is clinically diagnosable with Alzheimer’s, it has been going on for years,” said Sid O’Bryant, interim director of the Institute for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research at the health science center.

An estimated half-million Americans each year are affected by Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease, which researchers believe is surpassed only by heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of death in the United States, according to a study published this month.

Alzheimer’s research is decades behind cardiovascular and cancer research, and new medications haven’t hit the market in years, some neurologists say, partly because of the difficulty in diagnosing patents and enrolling them in clinical trials early enough to test the effectiveness of new medications and treatments.

“It’s been a decade since we’ve had a new medication come available so we can treat the disease. It’s very frustrating,” said Dr. Kevin Conner, neurologist and medical director at Texas Health Arlington Memorial’s Stroke Center.

New blood tests may change all that one day.

In a study published in Nature Medicine this month, researchers made international headlines after unveiling a first-of-its-kind blood test they say can predict with 90 percent accuracy whether a healthy person will develop Alzheimer’s within two to three years.

The test is based on whether the person has lowered levels of particular fatty lipids.

In the Rochester Aging Study, launched in 2007, the researchers collected blood samples from more than 500 healthy people older than 70. Five years later, they further examined the samples from the people who had developed Alzheimer’s or other mild cognitive problems and found that 10 specific lipids were at lower levels than normal, possibly an early signal that the disease has begun breaking down brain cells, according an article about the study on the University of Rochester Medical Center website.

While neurologists say a predictive blood test for Alzheimer’s won’t be available to the public anytime soon, it could help researchers identify at-risk candidates for clinical trials.

The goal is for the test to become standard, like cholesterol screening, for people over 65 who go in for their annual physical, O’Bryant said.

A simple blood test would be more objective and effective than relying on patients to bring up memory concerns on their own or count on primary-care physicians to ask about them specifically, O’Bryant said

Even if the predictive test were available in a doctor’s office today, Hill said, she isn’t sure she would want to know whether she faces the same disease as her mother.

“For some families, it might be helpful to know what is up ahead. Do I want to know right now? Honestly, probably not,” said Hill, who also has a daughter in college. “I’m dealing with all I can deal with. I’m caring for my mom. I wouldn’t want to worry about me.”

“I understand from research, we’re about to reach some epidemic proportions,” Hill said. “As baby boomers age, we are seeing more and more cases and more cases of early onset. That is troubling to me.

“The cost and effort associated with caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is astronomical,” she said. “It’s physically demanding but the challenges emotionally and mentally are draining, too.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Everett P. Fog, 15, in front of an Everett mural along Colby Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Hello, Everett! No escape when your name is same as the town

Everett P. Fog, 15, sees and hears his first name wherever he goes. His middle name is also epic.

Jared Meads takes a breath after dunking in an ice bath in his back yard while his son Fallen, 5, reads off the water temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Chill out: Dive into the cold plunge craze

Plungers say they get mental clarity and relief for ails in icy water in tubs, troughs and clubs.

Schack exhibit to highlight Camano Island watercolorists

“Four Decades of Friendship: John Ebner & John Ringen” will be on display Jan. 16 through Feb. 9.

XRT Trim Adds Rugged Features Designed For Light Off-Roading
Hyundai Introduces Smarter, More Capable Tucson Compact SUV For 2025

Innovative New Convenience And Safety Features Add Value

Sequoia photo provided by Toyota USA Newsroom
If Big Is Better, 2024 Toyota Sequoia Is Best

4WD Pro Hybrid With 3-Rows Elevates Full-Size

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser (Provided by Toyota).
2025 Toyota Land Cruiser revives its roots

After a 3-year hiatus, the go-anywhere SUV returns with a more adventurous vibe.

Enjoy the wilderness in the CX-50. Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda CX-50 Adds Hybrid Capability to Turbo Options

Line-Up Receives More Robust List Of Standard Equipment

Practical And Functional bZ4X basks in sunshine. Photo provided by Toyota Newsroom.
2024 bZ4X Puts Toyota Twist On All-Electric SUV’s

Modern Styling, Tech & All-Wheel Drive Highlight

Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatch Delivers Value

Plus Functionality of AWD And G-Vectoring

2025 Mazda CX-90 Turbo SUV (Provided by Mazda)
2025 CX-90 Turbo models get Mazda’s most powerful engine

Mazda’s largest-ever SUV is equipped to handle the weight, with fuel efficiency kept in check.

Provided by Bridges Pets, Gifts, & Water Gardens.
Discover where to find the best pet supplies in town

Need the perfect store to spoil your furry friends? Herald readers have you covered.

VW Jetta SEL is a sedan that passes for a coupe. Photo provided by Volkswagen U.S. Media.
2025 VW Jetta Offers Greater Refinement, Technology And Value

A Perfect Choice For Small Families And Commuters

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.