Blood test results helped primary care physicians diagnose Alzheimer's disease with nearly the same accuracy as specialists, a study of Swedish patients with cognitive impairment showed.
Primary care physicians changed their diagnosis in 30% of patients after they reviewed blood test results, reported Sebastian Palmqvist, MD, PhD, of Lund University in Sweden.
Diagnostic accuracy rose from 62% to 88%, giving primary care physicians similar negative predictive values as dementia experts for ruling out Alzheimer's disease, Palmqvist said at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.
Test results changed clinical management for 62.8% of patients. This included specialist referrals, additional exams, and starting or stopping medications.
Rapid advances in Alzheimer's blood tests have fueled extensive research into their ability to identify the disease.
