Alcohol use disorders are a major risk factor for all types of dementia,
including early-onset dementia, according to recently published findings.
Michaël Schwarzinger, MD, Ph.D., and colleagues from France and Canada
analysed adult patients admitted to hospitals between 2008 and 2013 to evaluate
the link between alcohol use and dementia risk.
The study authors wrote that while some literature suggests a beneficial
effect of light to moderate drinking on cognitive health, moderate drinking is
consistently associated with damage to the brain.
Between 2008 and 2013, there were 31.6 million adults aged 20 years or
older who were discharged from French metropolitan hospitals. The researchers
learned that 1.1 million of those patients were diagnosed with dementia and
therefore included in the analysis.
Of those patients, there were about 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia. Most of those, nearly 40%, were alcohol-related or had an additional diagnosis or alcohol use disorders, the researchers determined and was equally true for both men and women. However, the researchers did add that alcohol use was not included in the recent dementia review published by the Lancet Commission examining dementia prevention, intervention, and care.
Notably, they wrote, when patients were under the age of 65 years, the
most common cases of dementia were alcohol-related, or the patients otherwise
qualified for a diagnosis of alcohol use disorders.
“Alcohol-related dementia should be recognized as one of the main causes
of early-onset dementia,” they wrote. “Additionally, clinicians should be
better aware of the role of alcohol use disorders in dementia onset over the
lifetime, which seems to be a risk factor often omitted.”
The study authors offered a variety of reasons for their findings. Among
them, heavy drinking can lead to permanent structural and functional brain
damage because of the ethanol. Plus, heavy drinking can lead to other
conditions which damage the brain, such as epilepsy, head injury and vascular
diseases. Heavy drinking can also be linked to smoking, depression and low
education, they wrote. These factors have led to formulating a specific
diagnosis for alcohol-related dementia.
Come join the discussion at Community Nursing 2018, September 17-18,
2018, Cape Town, South Africa.
John Hunt,
Program Manager,
Community Nursing2018,
47 Churchfield Road, London, W3 6AY, United Kingdom
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