3-question method helps detect disease
“Do you feel like you have more difficulty in your daily life than before?” “Can you tell me about your daily pleasures or hobbies?” and “What are the most noteworthy current/latest news/topics?”, these three questions can help in early detection of Alzheimer’s disease And mild cognitive impairment. This is stated in a study by a group of Japanese researchers from Keio University and Saiseikai Yokohamashi Tobu Hospital, which was published this Thursday.
“Can be used in nursing homes “and will contribute to the early detection of patients with this disease,” explained Daisuke Ito, a professor of the project at Keio University specializing in neurology.
The questions will join the rest of the qualifying exams.
Experts said this screening will be added to neurological examinations, cognitive and functional assessments, brain imaging (MRI, CT, positron emission tomography), and cerebrospinal fluid or blood analysis. These tools, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, are the most common in diagnosing the disease.
The study analyzed both responses and their absence among 108 patients with dementiasome with Alzheimer’s disease, and 47 people without cognitive pathologies.
Brain scans of respondents showed that people at increased risk development of Alzheimer’s disease The first question was answered in the negative. or responded with ambiguous answers. They also gave a specific answer to the second question, but in the last question they cited news older than three months or did not give a specific answer.
Among them amyloid beta protein levelwhich is considered a precursor to this disease when it accumulates in the brain, amounted to approximately three times higher than average, according to researchers. In turn, scientists discovered that Amyloid beta accumulation was 2.8 times higher. among patients who sought help from their peers to answer three questions.
According to WHO, more than 55 million people suffer from dementia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55 million people suffer from dementia worldwide, and 60–70% of cases are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
In Japan, it affects 7% of men aged 75 to 79 years and 16% of men aged 90 years and older, with the trend even more pronounced among women, with the disease striking 7.3% of people aged 75 to 79 already more than 59% among those over 90, as shown by the British analytical and consulting company GlobalData.
The same company predicts that Alzheimer’s disease will affect 2026 To 4.9 million people in the Asian countryone of the oldest in the world, with drugs such as lecanemab and donanemab-AZT available, which work by eliminating beta-amyloid proteins concentrated in the brain to slow the progression of the disease and are offered to patients with the disease at an early stage. .
In Spain, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is In 2050, the number could triple to 3.6 million. patients, warned in 2023 the president of the Spanish Confederation of Alzheimer’s and other dementias (Ceafa), Marilo Almagro.