New criteria to avoid the over-diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is currently largely based on the presence of biomarkers. This may lead to a problematic over-diagnosis if this is incorrectly interpreted.
To counter this problem, a global expert panel led by Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève (HUG), the University of Geneva and the Salpêtrière Hospital have drawn up recommendations. Based on a review of the scientific literature, they advocate that clinical signs as well as biomarkers must be taken into account.
This new approach avoids diagnosing AD in people with abnormal biomarkers who will never develop memory disorders and sets out a monitoring process tailored to each individual. These recommendations have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Neurology (JAMA Neurology).