Diagnosis of Alzheimer's and dementia should be significantly better

Researchers want to improve diagnosis in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia
In Germany, around 1.5 million people suffer from dementia, the majority of whom have Alzheimer's disease. Although the disease is not curable, but can slow their course. The earliest possible diagnosis is crucial for this. Researchers have now announced that they will improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.

More and more people with dementia
The number of dementia patients continues to rise. Currently, about 1.5 million people are affected in Germany, most of them have Alzheimer's. Although several allegedly revolutionary methods of healing Alzheimer's have been propagated in recent years, the disease can not be cured until today, only its course can be slowed down. The earliest possible diagnosis is crucial for this. Researchers are working to improve it further.

Researchers have announced that they intend to improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. This should allow the therapy to be better adapted to the individual patient and used more successfully. (Image: Ocskay Bence / fotolia.com)

Early Alzheimer's diagnosis
For years, special screening tests have been offered, in which the risk for Alzheimer's is to be calculated. Whether such an Alzheimer's early test works, is among health experts but controversial.

It is criticized that such tests barely reach the diagnosis and are often just "money making". Meanwhile, various promising options have been presented that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's.

For example, scientists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Göttingen reported last year on the development of a new blood test for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

US researchers found in an investigation that a smell test could be suitable for the quick and easy early diagnosis of dementia.

And a German-Dutch research duo now wants to improve diagnostics in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.

Improve diagnostics with modern imaging technology
Privatdozent Marco Düring from the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research of the University of Munich (LMU) and Prof. Dr. med. Geert Jan Biessels of the Rudolf Magnus Brain Center in Utrecht want to use a modern imaging technique to improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

"We will use an innovative imaging technique that makes the mobility of water in brain tissue visible and measurable," Dr. Düring in a message.

"This is the so-called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This is a special kind of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). "The DTI procedure is used to examine patients from memory consultation as well as people with hereditary variants of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Better adapted to the individual patient therapy
As stated in the communication, many people with Alzheimer's disease also have changes to the cerebral vessels that are typical of vascular, ie vascular, dementia.

So far, it has been difficult to determine at diagnosis the proportion of Alzheimer's disease and that of vascular dementia in the symptoms of the patient. However, this would be of great importance for individual therapy.

"The new imaging technique is expected to determine the effects of both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in the future. As a result, the therapy can be better adapted to the individual patient and ultimately be used more successfully. " Duering. (Ad)