http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/11/12/alzheimer-s-still-barking-up-the-wrong-tree.aspxI was intrigued, and a bit alarmed, by a study in this month’s Archives of Neurology . The study used an imaging agent called Pittsburgh Compound B (so-named because it was discovered at the University of Pittsburgh; it detects brain deposits that theenCommunityServer 2.1 SP2 (Debug Build: 2.18)http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/11/12/alzheimer-s-still-barking-up-the-wrong-tree.aspx#805695Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:37:00 GMT544c64cf-7058-4151-925a-a0fd041e73dd:805695jrichard0<p>As a practicing geriatrician who is frequently the first physician to diagnose a patient with Alzheimer's, I have a different concern. &nbsp;It's the overwhelming fascination by both colleagues and the lay public with the Holy Grail of a diagnostice test for Alzheimer's disease. &nbsp;This is a disease that can be reliably diagnosed by experienced clinicians without spending thousands of dollars on imaging tests of questionable utility. &nbsp;In most cases, by the time a patient sees me they have had Alzheimer's for at least a year, and there is no doubt about the diagnosis. &nbsp;During this interval both the patient and family have lost valuable time that could have been spent treating and adapting to this disease. &nbsp;</p> <p>We already have a diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease. &nbsp;It's a thorough examination by a physician who knows how to diagnose it. &nbsp;And it doesn't cost thousands of dollars either.</p> <p>James P. Richardson, M.D., M.P.H.</p> Blog: Lab Notes