English 
Italian CONTRIBUTI SCIENTIFICI – Scientific Papers
Volume:
Biochimica Clinica 2018; 42(1) 39-43
Published on-line:
January 30, 2018
DOI:
10.19186/BC_2018.007
L’uso dei biomarcatori del liquido cerebrospinale nella diagnosi della malattia di Alzheimer: un’indagine tra i laboratori italiani
AUTHORS
1Dipartimento di Neurologia Clinica e Comportamentale, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italia
2Dipartimento di Biochimica Clinica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma
3Dipartimento di Medicina dei Sistemi, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italia
4VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam
5Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milano, Italia
6Unità di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Istituto Tecnologie Biomediche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italia
7Dipartimento di Medicina, Centro dei Disturbi della Memoria, Università di Perugia, Italia
8Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Chirurgia, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italia
ABSTRACT
The clinical use of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis: an Italian survey
The use of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers amyloid b1-42 (Ab42), tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau181) for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease is limited to a restricted number of neurological centers. By a survey, we aimed to do a “selfie” of the use and diffusion of CSF biomarkers of dementia in Italy, the standardization of pre-analytical procedures, the harmonization of ranges, and the participation to Quality Control programs. The members of SIBioC and of the Piattaforma Italiana per le Malattie Neurodegenerative della Società Italiana di Neurologia per le Demenze (SINdem-ITALPLANED) together with other neurological clinics all over Italy have received an online questionnaire. Forty neurological centers require CSF analyses while 7/20 regions (35%) lack CSF laboratories. Standardization of pre-analytical procedures is present in 62.02% of laboratories and only 56% participate to International Quality Control Programs. There is no harmonization of the reported cut-offs. A cost-benefit analysis, with a program for standardization and harmonization should be promoted by Scientific Societies and National Health Services.