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Current study Alzheimer in the future by new urine tests detectable?
Many people in Germany suffer from Alzheimer's disease, which has so far been very difficult to detect. In addition, a diagnosis is relatively complex and puts a heavy burden on the body of those affected. Researchers have now been able to diagnose Alzheimer's by analyzing a sample of urine. Such an investigation could identify those affected in the early stages of the disease. This allows a more effective treatment of Alzheimer's.
Researchers at the Tianjin Medical University in China have now discovered that Alzheimer's can be detected in urine. Previous methods of diagnosis burden the body of those affected strong, also such a method is still very expensive. The physicians published the results of their current research in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
The analysis of urine could lead to a faster and more cost-effective diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in the future. (Image: Gerhard Seybert / fotolia.com) People over the age of 65 are particularly affected by Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease) is a so-called neurodegenerative disease, which often occurs only at an advanced age. People over the age of 65 are probably the majority of those affected.
Which method has been used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease?
For a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, a so-called imaging procedure is usually used which can identify the deposits typical of Alzheimer's disease. These deposits are also referred to as plaques, say the experts. However, such tests have some disadvantages, they are not widely available and are also very expensive. In addition, the process heavily loaded the body of the sick because it works with radioactive radiation, the scientists add.
Researchers looked for a non-invasive form of diagnosis
It is also possible to identify the parts of the deposits and degradation products that are typical of the process of the disease in the cerebro-spinal fluid of the patients, explain the physicians. Unfortunately, the removal of the fluid is a rather strong procedure for the body and involves various health risks. Researchers have been looking for a long time for alternatives that provide a more favorable and non-invasive form of diagnosis.
The protein AD7c-NTP may indicate Alzheimer's in the urine
The research team from China analyzed another way for a new diagnostic method to identify early indications of an imminent Alzheimer's disease. This was the urine of those affected. The physicians had discovered that the urine can detect the protein AD7c-NTP, which is a trigger for nerve cell death and mitochondrial dysfunction. This protein is also detectable in brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid.
Physicians examine urine from 30 subjects
In their study, the researchers examined a total of 22 participants who already had mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease. So the experts wanted to find out how reliable a diagnosis based on a urine sample really is. The results were then compared with data from eight subjects with mild cognitive impairment (LKB). The physicians investigated the relationship between the urinary AD7c-NTP protein and brain deposits, clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment.
Laboratory analysis calculates concentration of AD7c-NTP
Special focus was on the detection of the so-called Alzheimer's plaques, say the experts. The imaging method measured the amount of deposits typical of Alzheimer's disease in all participants. Later, the concentration of the protein AD7c-NTP was determined in the laboratory by analysis of the urine. The physicians also examined subjects for initial signs of dementia, such as limitations in thinking and behavioral problems. Two different tests were used for this.
Researchers find deposits in nearly 64 percent of subjects with Alzheimer's
A total of 14 out of 22 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (63.6 percent) and two out of eight subjects with mild cognitive impairment (25 percent) had the typical Alzheimer's deposits. The experts also found that the amount of protein AD7c-NTP in the urine was higher when the subjects had the typical deposits compared to patients without such deposits. Through such an analysis of the urine, it was possible to determine which people were probably already suffering from Alzheimer's disease and in which subjects such a disease was by no means present. However, in various tests of mental performance and psychiatric examinations, except for one value, there was no agreement with the value found in the urine. However, it has been observed that agitation, which frequently occurs in dementia patients, is increasingly detectable even with a high concentration of AD7c-NTP.
Concentration of AD7c-NTP in urine is a good way to predict Alzheimer's disease
The concentration of the nerve-damaging protein AD7c-NTP in urine is a good predictor of Alzheimer's typical deposition in the brain. Hopefully, this type of urine examination will lead to a cheap, fast and patient-friendly diagnostic alternative in the future, the researchers say. Using the new diagnostic methodology in clinics and hospitals may also help people in the early stages of the disease to effectively identify the disease and thus enable them to receive optimized treatment more quickly.