英媒：科学家开发出诊断阿尔茨海默病的血液检测法

科学家开发出了一种可以诊断阿尔茨海默病的新型血液测试，英媒报道称，该测试较传统方法更经济，并可更早发现疾病。

据英国《卫报》12月27日报道，科学家开发出了一种可以诊断阿尔茨海默病的新型血液测试，英媒报道称，该测试较传统方法更经济，并可更早发现疾病。当前该测试方法仍在试验中。

Scientists have developed a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease without the need for expensive brain imaging or a painful lumbar puncture, where a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is drawn from the lower back. If validated, the test could enable faster diagnosis of the disease, meaning therapies could be initiated earlier.

科学家们开发出一种可诊断阿尔茨海默病的新型血液检测，无需进行昂贵的脑部影像检查或痛苦的腰椎穿刺（从下背部抽取脑脊液样本）。如果该检测方法得到验证，阿尔兹海默症可以得到更快诊断，这意味着可以尽早开始治疗。

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, but diagnosis remains challenging – particularly during the earlier stages of the disease.

阿尔茨海默症是最常见的痴呆症，但诊断仍具有难度，尤其是在疾病的早期阶段。

Current guidelines recommend detection of three distinct markers: abnormal accumulations of amyloid and tau proteins, as well as neurodegeneration – the slow and progressive loss of neuronal cells in specified regions of the brain. This can be done through a combination of brain imaging and CSF analysis. However, a lumbar puncture can be painful and people may experience headaches or back pain after the procedure, while brain imaging is expensive and takes a long time to schedule.

目前的医学指南建议检测三种不同的标志物：淀粉样蛋白、Tau蛋白的异常积累，以及神经变性（大脑特定区域神经元细胞的缓慢和渐进性丧失）。以上标志物检测可以结合脑成像和脑脊液分析来完成。然而，腰椎穿刺可能会很痛苦，术后患者可能会感到头痛或背痛，而脑部成像费用昂贵，需要等待很长时间。

Prof Thomas Karikari at the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, US, who was involved in the study, said: “A lot of patients, even in the US, don’t have access to MRI and PET scanners. Accessibility is a major issue.”

参与研究的美国宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡大学教授托马斯·卡里卡里表示：“很多患者，甚至在美国，都没有机会进行核磁共振成像和PET扫描仪检查。这些检查不够普及是主要问题。”

The development of a reliable blood test would be an important step forwards. “A blood test is cheaper, safer and easier to administer, and it can improve clinical confidence in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and selecting participants for clinical trial and disease monitoring,” Karikari said.