A BASIC urine take a look at may spot early Alzheimer’s illness earlier than docs discover it, a research claims.
Greater than half one million Brits have the sickness, making it the highest explanation for dementia.
However it requires complicated exams and scans to diagnose, which means individuals can’t be mass-screened to catch it early.
Consultants at Jiao Tong College in Shanghai, China, say a easy pee take a look at may spot mind decline earlier than signs get dangerous.
It really works by detecting excessive ranges of formic acid, which they discovered was a crimson flag for the mind.
Writing within the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience, Dr Qihao Guo stated the take a look at may sound the alarm throughout a “golden window”.
He stated: “Alzheimer’s is a steady and hid persistent illness, which means it may possibly develop and final for a few years earlier than apparent cognitive impairment emerges.
“The early phases of the illness happen earlier than the irreversible dementia stage, and that is the golden window for intervention and remedy.
“Subsequently, large-scale screening for early-stage Alzheimer’s illness is important for the aged.”
The research concerned 574 individuals break up into 5 teams starting from regular mind operate to full-blown Alzheimer’s.
The researchers stated: “With the development of the illness, urinary formic acid ranges confirmed an general upward development.
“The detection of urine biomarkers of Alzheimer’s is handy and cost-effective.”