A Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease: It's about Time or Not Ready for Prime Time? Comment

A blood test for Alzheimer's disease is now available for clinical use in persons with cognitive impairment. This is an extraordinary milestone, though the amyloid-based PrecivityADT test is not without limitations. Pre and posttest counseling are essential. Phosphorylated tau blood tests are likely to follow soon. When used in conjunction with an appropriate clinical evaluation, blood tests provide the opportunity for an early, accurate, and accessible diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Standalone use, however, carries a significant risk of misinterpretation and is strongly discouraged. Now is the time to develop appropriate use criteria to guide the use of these promising assays.

Automated summary

A blood test for Alzheimer's disease is now available for clinical use in persons with cognitive impairment, but appropriate clinical evaluation and pre- and post-test counseling are necessary. Standalone use carries a risk of misinterpretation and guidelines for its appropriate use need to be developed.