SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Alzheimer’s Awareness Month begins Friday, and as a growing number of Americans cope with the disease, scientists are working to find more ways to diagnose it. One new tool could be blood tests.
“This is a picture of my mother-in-law and father-in-law,” Jolene DiBrango of Scottsdale said.
DiBrango met her father-in-law, Frank, when she was just 18 years old. It’s why it was so painful when she saw his cognitive abilities deteriorate.
“That's when he had the disease, but it was not in the late stages,” she said, showing a photo. “So you can kind of see a light in his eyes that was there, that kind of went out toward the end.”
In August, Frank DiBrango lost his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
“He was the youngest of eleven children, and he was the eighth to die of dementia or Alzheimer's,” DiBrango said.
Now DiBrango worries about her husband, Joe, and his siblings.
“It’s in our family, and it's prevalent. You know that the risk is there,” she said.
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Yet scientists at an international conference Thursday announced two clinical trials are showing promise. They are looking into blood tests, which look for indicators of the disease and can be used to make an early diagnosis.
A lot of research into these tests is happening in Arizona. Banner Alzheimer’s Institute launched a Blood-Based Biomarker Program and brought in a world-renowned expert to galvanize the use of these tests in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
The Alzheimer’s Association says the blood tests are 90% accurate for patients with cognitive symptoms and could be a crucial tool in Arizona, where 151,500 people are living with the disease.
“Arizona does have one of the fastest growth rates of Alzheimer's disease in the country,” James Fitzpatrick, Alzheimer’s Association director of advocacy, said. “We are literally the epicenter. It is vital that we keep up with the demand of the disease.”
DiBrango says if wwork advances, it could be a game changer for her husband, potentially buying them an invaluable gift.
“Now, without the biomarker testing, you could be in the pipeline for years trying to get a definitive diagnosis,” DiBrango said. “You may miss that window for that treatment in the early stages, which slows the progression and gives families and the people with the disease more time. And more time is what we all want with our loved ones.”
