Today, approximately 160,000 people in Sweden are affected by some form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, with over 100,000 individuals diagnosed, and there is likely an underreporting. It's most common to be affected after the age of 65, but the disease can sometimes manifest much earlier. It's clear that the risk of being affected increases with advancing age.

In Alzheimer's disease, early accumulations occur in the brain, consisting of the protein beta-amyloid, as well as tangles in the nerve cells made up of tau protein, which spread to different parts of the brain where they cause abnormally rapid degeneration of the nerve cells. Symptoms begin gradually with increasing memory problems. Speech and orientation are often affected over time. Everyday tasks become more difficult to plan and execute. It's also common to experience anxiety and depression. Alzheimer's disease eventually leads to the development of dementia.

In Sweden, there are currently no drugs to halt the progression, but recently, new drugs were approved in the American market that are believed to partially slow down the disease, and more new treatments are currently being tested. For these to have a good effect, the disease needs to be diagnosed preferably earlier than what healthcare generally can do today.

Our REAL AD study aims to investigate the possibility of detecting signs of the disease using new digital tools and a simple blood test already administered at healthcare centres. But to succeed, we need your help if you are between 50 and 80 years old and can make it to any of Närhälsan's healthcare centres in Västra Götaland. You can participate regardless of where you are listed.

Join the study and help us find Alzheimer's disease earlier!