Bipolar disorder is a difficult condition to diagnose and often confused with depression. This new blood test could improve screening. Explanations.
Approximately 40% depressed people could actually suffer from bipolarity, according to figures from the PositiveMinders association. Indeed, bipolarity is a psychiatric illness that is difficult to detect and the delay in diagnosis is estimated between 6 and 8 years old. Contrary to popular belief, this disease is not limited only to alternating depressive and manic phases. Depressive phases are often more marked than elation phases. As a result, the disease is often confused with depression.
However, taking antidepressants can worsen the disease since patients need medications that regulate mood. Hence the importance of having a faster diagnosis. And now, a new blood test could easily detect bipolarity. This test was developed by researchers fromAlcediag, a biopharmaceutical company in Hérault. This test is intended for adults who are taking medication for a moderate or severe depressive episode.
The rest after this ad
A simple blood test to detect bipolarity
To carry out the screening, simply take a blood test! However, the analysis must be prescribed by a psychiatrist and carried out in one of the 400 Synlab brand laboratories. “The doctor’s prescription must necessarily be accompanied by a clinical information sheet signed by the doctor and a consent form to the conditions of use of the test, signed by the patient”, specifies Synlab in a press release.
Concretely, the disease can be detected thanks to “RNA sequencing in blood, coupled with an algorithm based on artificial intelligence”. This allows the identification of blood biomarkers characteristic of the disease. “The algorithm myEDIT-B also takes into account multifactorial data: age, sex, treatments and addictions”, specifies the laboratory.
The rest after this ad
An 80% reliable test and not free
This test would be reliable 80% depending on the laboratory. However, Alcediag explains that this is only a diagnostic aid. A very expensive aid since you have to pay 899 euros for this test and that it is not reimbursed by Social Security. “We have ten years of investment in our own funds. The development of this test was very expensive. We used the latest sequencing technologies,” justifies Alexandra Prieux, president of Alcediag, to 20 minutes.
However, this test is not unanimous among scientists. “To date, no test meets the conditions for use in clinical practice,” explains Professor Emilie Olié, president of the French Association of Biological Psychiatry and Neuropsychopharmacology (AFPBN). The association does not “does not recommend the prescription of these diagnostic tests in psychiatry in the current state of knowledge”. However, Alcediag claims that this new test could greatly improve patient care and thus avoid medical wandering.
Passionate about women’s news, Agathe has been deciphering the latest trends for aufeminin since 2022. Her favorite areas? Psychology, nutrition and well-being advice, without forgetting the tips…