Around one in 10 people in the UK aged 70 and over may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the first large population-based study to assess how common these changes are.
The findings, published in Nature, are based on blood tests from nearly 11,500 randomly selected people and do not amount to a diagnosis. However, they suggest more than 1 million over-70s could meet NHS criteria for anti-amyloid treatment, far more than previous estimates.
Researchers found the prevalence rises sharply with age, reaching about two-thirds in people over 90. Experts say the results could transform early detection, but warn the NHS cannot currently afford to treat everyone who might benefit.
