Researchers in Sweden have identified changes in spinal fluid that enable them to predict whether someone will develop Alzheimer’s disease 10 years before symptoms show.

Having looked at 137 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that normally leads to Alzheimer’s in later life, the team from Lund University found that 90% of those that had high amyloid and tau in their cerbrospinal fluid then had dementia 10 years on.

This compared with just 14% of those with MCI but normal amyloid and tau levels who went on to develop Alzheimer’s.

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The ability to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease would be a significant step forward for research.

“Early detection of Alzheimer’s would allow potential new treatments to be trialled much earlier, when it’s thought they would be more beneficial to patients. It’s unlikely that spinal fluid measurements would be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s by themselves, but this study suggests they may be useful when combined with other tests.”

It's hoped the findings will encourage more research into the early detection of Alzheimer's to help some of the 820,000 people in the UK currently affected by the condition.