Researchers have warned that social media may be misleading healthy people into taking Alzheimer’s blood tests, causing severe anxiety over biological markers that may never actually cause dementia.
Blood-based biomarker tests, including p-tau217 and p-tau181, detect biological signs of changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive brain disorder and the leading cause of dementia.
The testing looks for abnormal proteins, which can be a sign of brain changes due to Alzheimer’s. Much hope has been placed in the tests because they are often quicker and more accessible compared with other methods to diagnose Alzheimer’s, such as brain imaging or lumbar punctures.
There is global consensus among peak neurological bodies, including the Alzheimer’s Association, that such tests should never be used for healthy people with no symptoms.
The tests should not be used on their own to diagnose Alzheimer’s and need to be combined with other medical assessments, according to clinicians and peak bodies. Because they detect signs of Alzheimer’s early, a person can test positive for the biological markers of disease – but they may not ever go on to develop the clinical symptoms of dementia.
Dr Jenna Smith from the University of Sydney’s school of public health said this has not stopped laboratories, influencers and doctors around the world from promoting the tests on social media.
The researchers found more than one-third of posts promoted the tests for people without symptoms, and that accounts with explicit financial interests were more than three times as likely to do so.
“The main potential harms are being unnecessarily diagnosed and not having a clear pathway for what to do next,” Smith said.
Source: The Guardian, 15 September 2026
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