LONDON — Blood-based biomarker (BBM) testing may enable primary care physicians (PCPs) to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as accurately as dementia specialists, potentially expanding access to accurate diagnosis beyond memory clinics, new research suggests.

In a prospective study of more than 1,300 patients, PCPs achieved 93% diagnostic accuracy after reviewing BBM results, which was comparable to the 94% accuracy of dementia specialists. The test also changed clinicians’ diagnoses and management plans in a substantial proportion of cases.

“By equipping primary care practitioners with blood test results, we see that they’re as accurate as dementia experts in definitely ruling out [AD],” study investigator Sebastian Palmqvist, MD, PhD, senior consultant neurologist and associate professor, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, told Medscape Medical News.