WESTON, Fla. – Scientists are reporting a new and non-invasive model for predicting Alzheimer’s disease in people with moderate impairment.
Dr. Damon Salzman, a neurologist with the Cleveland Clinic Weston, said the importance of the new model is its potential to determine which patients with mild cognitive impairment might progress to full Alzheimer’s.
The model combines two blood tests that look for particular proteins connected to Alzheimer’s.
“So essentially by combining the two tests they found they could actually increase the sensitivity increase the diagnostic ability of the blood tests much better than either one individually and it’s in line with some of the spinal fluid testing we’re able to do now but it’s much less invasive and hopefully would be much less expensive,” Salzman said.
Salzman said 50 to 80 percent of patients with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer’s, so the test could help determine who would be best suited for early intervention therapies to slow the progression of the disease.
Achy feet?
If you suffer from achy feet at night, it may not be just because you stand or walk a lot during the day. It could be a sign of a more serious medical condition.
Foot pain at night could be a sign of damage to the peripheral nervous system, which often affects the feet and legs; diabetes, which affects blood circulation, depriving muscles in the feet of much-needed oxygen; fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes widespread pain, including the feet, due to lower levels of anti-inflammatory hormones in the body; or compression on the sciatic nerve running from the spine all the way down to the feet, which could be a sign of a herniated disc.
Wearing supportive shoes and simple exercises Including calf stretches, toe bends and heel raises, can help ease the ache — but if pain persists, it’s time to see your doctor for a definitive diagnosis.