Chicago: A simple blood test may be able to identify whether mild lapses of memory could be early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said.

An international team of researchers explained 18 cell-signaling, or communication, proteins found in the blood predicted with 90 percent accuracy whether a person would develop Alzheimer’s disease.

They said tests for detecting the changes in these proteins could be used to predict the disease 2 to 6 years before its onset and may be beneficial in the search for treatments.

Wyss-Coray, a researcher at Stanford University and head of geriatric research at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, California said, “We show there are very interesting changes going on with patients with Alzheimer's disease. These changes occur early on in the disease process.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that robs people of memory, reasoning and the ability to communicate.

About 18 million people worldwide have the disease, according to W.H.O.

Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed by doctors, excluding other potential causes of memory loss, such as stroke, tumors and heavy drinking. The brain scans are also used, but autopsy is the only definitive diagnosis.