An Irish company has announced a test that can detect an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease in patients before symptoms develop. The test, developed by Randox Laboratories, uses a microchip in blood testing. The chip can help detect a mutation of the ApoE4 gene, a variant in protein processing that can lead to an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s. If a patient inherits the gene from one parent, they have a three times greater risk than average of developing the disease. If they inherit from both parents, their risk is elevated to as much as 12 times greater than average for developing Alzheimer’s. About 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with or are believed to have Alzheimer’s. The disease, which leads to deposits of protein on neurons and robs patients of memory and other brain functions, eventually kills. The incidence of the disease has been rising in recent decades as the United States population continues to age and live longer. Treatment for dementiacausing diseases is extremely expensive, estimated to cost the U.S. $236 billion a year. Most sufferers of Alzheimer’s are not diagnosed until they are symptomatic. Results of a trial of the test, which is not yet available in […]