Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium and ADNI analyzed data from more than 400 elderly people, of whom 114 had normal cognitive function, 200 mild cognitive impairment and 102 suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. They identified a specific biological marker present in 90% of Alzheimer’s patients, 72% of people with mild cognitive impairment and 36% of people with normal cognitive functions.
After five years of follow-up, this marker made it possible to predict 100% of Alzheimer’s cases.
The fact that the biological markers are present in more than a third of the subjects without cognitive disorders suggests that the disease is active and detectable even earlier than imagined. About 37 million people worldwide have dementia, mostly due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the World Health Organization.
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