A random population survey of adults aged 65 and over who deny recent cognitive changes asking the question “Do you want to know your risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease via a simple blood test” after being told that researchers now believe that it is possible detect Alzheimer’s Disease prior to symptoms with a simple blood test

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundRecent advances in blood biomarkers may soon enable clinicians to detect AD many years prior to cognitive decline with great accuracy. This survey address whether older adults would want a blood test to know whether they are at risk of developing AD.MethodRandom subjects who denied recent memory problems were approached on the sidewalk in a 55+ retirement community setting. The following scenario was presented: Scientists have learned that Alzheimer’s Disease starts 10‐20 years before symptoms, such as memory loss, begin. Your doctor can now order a simple blood test that will detect Alzheimer’s Disease before you get symptoms. Knowing that this blood test can show if you will get Alzheimer’s Disease, would you want the blood test?ResultData collected from 31 respondents reveal that 29 out of 31 (94%) were “familiar” with AD and 22 (71%) reported they knew someone who had been diagnosed with AD. When given the hypothetical scenario above, 23 (74%) wanted the blood test, 4 (13%) did not want the blood test and 4 (13%) were unsure if they wanted the blood test. Only 12 (39%) stated they received any type of memory testing at their annual doctor’s visit.ConclusionA surprisingly large number of respondents in our survey want to know their risk of developing AD. These results indicate a significant portion of the general population do want a simple blood test to know their risk of developing AD and do not seem afraid of knowing their risk of AD.The survey results also indicated that 94% were familiar with AD, indicating a high level of AD awareness in society. Only 39% reported receiving any type of memory testing at their annual doctor’s visit. Based on these results, clinicians should receive additional AD education so they are better prepared to discuss AD risk factors.Our survey indicates a large number of older adults are interested in a blood test that determines their risk of AD.Further work will include increasing the number of participants to 500 to further strengthen the data set.