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32/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 32 out of 100. Health systems and care delivery

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

The recent approval of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) marks a major shift in clinical practice. Biomarker confirmation of amyloid pathology is now required alongside clinical assessment, and blood-based tests are improving accessibility. This creates increased demand for timely and accurate diagnosis while avoiding overdiagnosis in low-probability cases. This Belgian consensus aims to guide biomarker-based diagnosis of AD in the era of DMTs and to highlight the system adaptations required for safe and equitable implementation. Belgium, with universal healthcare but regionally organised dementia care, provides a relevant case to illustrate both opportunities and challenges. This consensus was developed by 31 experts in cognitive neurology, geriatrics, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, neurochemistry, and primary care, coordinated by the Belgian Dementia Council (BeDeCo). Recommendations were based on multidisciplinary discussion, current evidence, and the organisation of dementia care in Belgium. The consensus outlines a stepwise diagnostic approach that integrates clinical assessment with biomarker confirmation using cerebrospinal fluid, amyloid-PET, and emerging blood-based tests. We review the strengths and limitations of each modality and provide guidance for use across clinical scenarios. Using Belgium as a case example, we illustrate challenges that are shared across European healthcare systems, such as limited reimbursement, unequal access to expertise, and insufficient diagnostic capacity, and formulate pragmatic recommendations to address these issues. This consensus offers practical guidance for embedding biomarker-based diagnostic strategies into clinical care. By outlining structured pathways and system-level priorities, it facilitates safe, feasible, and equitable implementation of DMTs for AD.

Key findings

The consensus outlines a stepwise diagnostic approach that integrates clinical assessment with biomarker confirmation using cerebrospinal fluid, amyloid-PET, and emerging blood-based tests.
We review the strengths and limitations of each modality and provide guidance for use across clinical scenarios.
Using Belgium as a case example, we illustrate challenges that are shared across European healthcare systems, such as limited reimbursement, unequal access to expertise, and insufficient diagnostic capacity, and formulate pragmatic recommendations to address these issues.
This consensus offers practical guidance for embedding biomarker-based diagnostic strategies into clinical care.
By outlining structured pathways and system-level priorities, it facilitates safe, feasible, and equitable implementation of DMTs for AD.

Why it matters

This Belgian expert consensus outlines a stepwise diagnostic approach for Alzheimer's disease that combines clinical assessment with biomarker confirmation using cerebrospinal fluid, amyloid-PET and emerging blood-based tests. It focuses on how to organise diagnosis and care as disease-modifying therapies arrive, and does not itself test any treatment, cure or prevention.

Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 32/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 31 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 32 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European journal of neurology)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	European Journal of Neurology: journal h-index 181 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	— / 4	OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author the BeDeCo members holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score
Institution's track record	1 / 3	KU Leuven: institution h-index 1,386 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	3 / 3	OpenAlex lists 22 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42538752)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points	31 / 96	Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 31 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 32 out of 100.
Total	32 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Tim, V. L., Sara, V. M., Marijke, M., Jan, D. L., Rose, B., Christophe, B. J., et al. (2026). Biomarker-Based Diagnosis and Care Pathways for Alzheimer's Disease in the Era of Disease-Modifying Treatments: A Consensus Statement by Belgian Experts. European journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.70668

Vancouver

Tim VL, Sara VM, Marijke M, Jan DL, Rose B, Christophe BJ, et al. Biomarker-Based Diagnosis and Care Pathways for Alzheimer's Disease in the Era of Disease-Modifying Treatments: A Consensus Statement by Belgian Experts. European journal of neurology. 2026. doi:10.1111/ene.70668. PMID: 42538752.

BibTeX

@article{tim2026-42538752,
  author  = {Tim, Van Langenhove and Sara, Van Mossevelde and Marijke, Miatton and Jan, De Lepeleire and Rose, Bruffaerts and Christophe, Bier Jean and Kurt, Segers and Jurn, Verschraegen and others},
  title   = {{Biomarker-Based Diagnosis and Care Pathways for Alzheimer's Disease in the Era of Disease-Modifying Treatments: A Consensus Statement by Belgian Experts}},
  journal = {European journal of neurology},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1111/ene.70668},
  pmid    = {42538752},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.70668}
}

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