(VOR News) – According to a recent study, a blood test might help doctors diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and project the course of this degenerative illness in individual individuals.
The fact that the test can be performed on blood samples serves as evidence for this.
The next day, the researchers’ findings were submitted to the journal Neurology for consideration for publication. Neurofilament light chain protein levels in the blood of people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) have been shown to be three times greater than those of those with other neurological conditions.
ALS patients have elevated blood levels of these proteins.
In the case that nerve cells are injured or die, the body will naturally create these proteins.
Researchers found that a blood test that looked for neurofilament light chain proteins could more than 80 percent of the time properly identify people with ALS. Additionally, the results suggest that the test could be used to predict survival for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Over 40 percent of those with neurofilament light chain proteins below a certain threshold were still alive within a year subsequently. For about forty percent of the people, this was the scenario. Every single person who kept their levels at or above that cutoff was still alive. The threshold had been crossed at these levels.
In a press release, Dr. Sylvain Lehmann, head of the Institute for Neurosciences at the University of Montpellier in France, said that better prognostic data could be helpful for people with ALS, their families, and the doctors who care for them.
Lehmann works at the University of Montpellier as well. “While more research needs to be done to confirm these findings, having better information about prognosis is more important than ever.”
Lou Gehrig’s disease, sometimes referred to as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), is a degenerative disease that gradually kills off nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Lou Gehrig’s disease is another name for this ailment. People who have had a degeneration of the nerves that regulate and communicate with their muscles are people who are unable to control their movement.
Seventy of the participants had neurological abnormalities similar to those of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), while 139 of the participants had ALS. This category included conditions such as primary lateral sclerosis and lower motor neuron disease.
Blood samples were taken from every group.
During their study, the researchers examined three different types of blood markers: glial acidic proteins, neurofilament light chain proteins, and phosphorylated tau 181. We looked closely at each of these three types of blood marker.
Phosphorylated tau has been shown to be linked to the mechanisms that cause amyloid proteins to develop in the brain 181. Certain proteins are known to be detrimental, and there is evidence linking their presence to Alzheimer’s disease.
The existence of this relationship has been established by numerous scientific studies. Glial acidic protein synthesis indicates that cells are attempting self-healing. Every time the cells perform a particular function, this occurs.
During a conference call with media representatives, Lehmann said, “An effective biomarker is invaluable; it aids in diagnosis, prognostic prediction, assessment of disease stage, and monitoring treatment response.”
The results show that, in comparison to the other two assays, neurofilament light chain protein levels are a substantially more reliable way to detect and track amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The numbers that are provided support this opinion.
After finishing their analysis, the researchers discovered that only around half of the time did the other two signals yield reliable results.
SOURCE: UPI
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