A simple blood test has been shown to detect Alzheimer’s disease in routine health care settings with up to 90% accuracy, according to Swedish researchers.

The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia on Sunday.

The test works by measuring the levels of Plasma Phospho-Tau217, a biomarker that is linked to the presence of Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain.

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It has been shown to detect the disease even before the person begins experiencing symptoms, researchers say.

“The tested blood test can detect Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy even in real-life settings in primary care,” said study author Oskar Hansson, M.D., head of the Clinical Memory Research Unit at Lund University, Sweden, in an email to Fox News Digital.

It is currently difficult for primary care physicians to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease due to a lack of adequate tools, he said. 

In the most recent study — also published in the journal JAMA — 1,213 people who were experiencing mild memory loss were evaluated by either primary care doctors or memory specialists. 

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The patients then underwent both the blood test and cerebrospinal fluid tests, and researchers compared the results.

“Primary care doctors’ accuracy in identifying Alzheimer’s disease was 61%, while specialist physicians were correct 73% of the time,” study author Sebastian Palmqvist, associate professor of neurology at Lund University, stated in a press release.

By comparison, the blood test had an accuracy of 90%.

It is currently difficult for primary care physicians to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease because of a lack of adequate tools, according to researchers. (iStock)

“I was surprised by how well the blood test worked in real-life settings in primary care, where the patients are older and have more comorbidities like kidney disease, which can affect the blood test results,” Hansson told Fox News Digital.

The main limitation of the research was that it was only conducted in Sweden. 

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“We need studies in the U.S. and other countries to better understand the generalizability of the findings,” Hansson said.

“I think it will take one or two years before there are clinical guidelines in place for use of blood tests in primary care.”

Looking ahead, there is a need for clear guidelines on how doctors should use these tests in clinical practice, according to the researchers. 

“My prediction is that highly accurate blood tests will very soon be recommended for use in patients with cognitive impairment who are assessed at clinics specialized in memory disorders,” Hansson said. 

The blood test could help to reduce the need for more advanced and expensive methods, like PET scans and cerebrospinal tests. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

This could help to reduce the need for more advanced and expensive methods, like PET scans and cerebrospinal tests.

“I think it will take one or two years before there are clinical guidelines in place for use of blood tests in primary care,” Hansson also noted. 

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The researchers do not currently recommend screenings for “cognitively normal people” — as there are not any approved treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease pathology who do not have cognitive impairment, the researcher said.

“My prediction is that highly accurate blood tests will very soon be recommended for use in patients with cognitive impairment who are assessed at clinics specialized in memory disorders,” a researcher predicted. (iStock)

Added Hansson, “Further, we propose that the blood test should be used as an adjunct to, and not replacement for, the clinical assessments used today.”

Approximately one in five women and one in 10 men develop dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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The condition is misdiagnosed in 25% to 35% of patients who are treated at specialized clinics, previous studies have shown — and researchers believe that number is even higher for patients assessed by their primary care physicians.

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Exposure to wildfire smoke could increase the risk of dementia, researchers have discovered.

A 10-year study of more than 1.2 million people in southern California — an area experiencing frequent wildfire activity — found that wildfire smoke can be “particularly hazardous” for brain health.

The Alzheimer’s Association announced the findings during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia on Monday.

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The study found that wildfire smoke increases dementia risk more than other types of air pollution, including emissions from motor vehicles and factories called fine particle matter (PM2.5), according to a press release from the Alzheimer’s Association.

The microscopic droplets in wildfire smoke were found to have a “notably stronger” effect on dementia risk with even less exposure, the researchers found.

High levels of PM2.5 also have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, asthma and low birth weight.

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The study analyzed data from Californians age 60 years or older between 2009 and 2019, determining the participants’ exposure according to where they lived.

The researchers observed a 21% increase in the likelihood of dementia diagnosis for every 1 microgram increase of PM2.5 per meter.

Researchers analyzed the health records of 1,227,241 southern Californians, none of whom had been diagnosed with dementia at the start of the study. (iStock)

Dr. Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific programs and outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association, told Fox News Digital that exposure to air pollution is known to be bad for brain health, as previous reports have linked PM2.5 to dementia.

“Each year, approximately 44 million people are exposed to unhealthy air quality due to wildfires worldwide.”

Improving air quality could help to protect cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to Sexton. 

“Each year, approximately 44 million people are exposed to unhealthy air quality due to wildfires worldwide,” she said. “Wildfires are increasing around the globe in frequency, severity and duration.”

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This new study highlighted several reasons that wildfire smoke is more dangerous, Sexton said.

Wildfire smoke is produced at higher temperatures and contains a greater concentration of toxic chemicals compared to other forms of air pollution, she noted.

Trees burn during the Park Fire near Chico, California, on July 26, 2024. (Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Wildfire smoke also produces a smaller diameter of PM2.5 than other sources, Sexton added.

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“With the rising global incidence of wildfires — including current wildfires in California, Oregon, Alaska and the southwestern U.S. — exposure to wildfire smoke is an increasing threat to brain health.”

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Research shows that on “poor air quality days” in California, air pollution produced by wildfires accounts for more than 70% of total fine particulate exposure, according to Sexton.

A firefighter watches a prescribed burn as the Max Fire burns in Lancaster, California, June 16, 2024. (DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

“This is a real problem,” she said. 

To lower the risk of exposure, Sexton recommends that people update their home air filtration systems and stay inside during periods of unhealthy air quality.

Researchers also suggest wearing an N95 mask outdoors when the Air Quality Index is over 100.