ALCOHOLISM AND DEMENTIA:

IS THERE A RELATION?By Danny Gallegos

Agenda

• Introduction

• Increasing rate of alcoholism and dementia

• Alcoholism

• Dementia

• Physiological affects of alcoholism on brain

• Physiological affect of Alzheimer’s

• Studies between dementia and alcohol

consumption

• Conclusion

Introduction

Hypothesis: Alcoholism increases the risk of dementia

Alcoholism and dementia impact most of our lives

I have a personal interest in the two aspects of this topic

Alcohol abuse impairs cognitive ability and damages the brain through atrophy

Dementia is a neurodegenerative cognitive disorder

It is logical to question if alcoholism increases the risk of developing dementia

An understanding of any correlation can help with treatment and prevention of dementia

Things to Consider

Alcoholism and Dementia Statistics

Alcoholism

Estimated 6.6 million children live in households with at least one alcoholic parent

53% of Americans report a close relative is an alcoholic

Alcoholism-Statistics.com

Dementia

Estimated 24 million people world wide have some form of dementia

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s today

Dementia is the worlds fastest growing diseases

Disabled-world.com

ALCOHOLISM

• Alcoholism is considered a disease of its own. For the past 200 years the idea of alcoholism being a disease has been developed, but not without controversy (Jaffe 1993).

• Alcoholism is characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behavior and impaired control over drinking (Gordis, 1995).

• Alcoholic dementia is characterized by a global loss of intellectual abilities (Gordis, 1995)

DEMENTIA

The term “dementia” denotes any condition characterized by severe global intellectual impairment, including loss of memory functions and abstract thinking, personality changes, disruption of social skills, and other impairments of higher brain functions (Eberling & Jaquist, 1995).

Doctors diagnose dementia only if two or more brain functions - such as memory, language skills, perception, or cognitive skills including reasoning and judgment - are significantly impaired without loss of consciousness. (Dementia, n.d.).

PHYSIOLOGICAL AFFECTS OF ALCOHOLISM

PHYSIOLGICAL AFFECTS OF ALZHEIMERS

Physiological comparison between an Alcohol atrophy brain and Alzheimer’s disease brain

LITERATURE FINDINGS

Based on clinical research studies between 22% to 29% of individuals with dementia were found to be heavy drinkers or alcoholics and 9% to 23% of elderly alcoholics in alcoholism treatment were found to also have dementia (FCA: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, n.d.). 

The research suggests that there was a significantly decreased risk of developing any form of dementia diseases associated with light to moderate drinkers. The research also showed that heavy alcohol drinkers and non alcohol drinkers actually developed dementia diseases at the same rates (Anstey, Mack, & Cherbuin, 2009).

LITERATURE FINDINGS CONT.

Compared to non drinkers, the moderate consumption of alcohol lowered the risk of a poor CASI score by 22% to 40% (Galanis et al., 2000).

Men who consumed more than 4 drinks per day had considerably lower scores and increased the risk of poor cognitive abilities (Galanis et al., 2000).

CONCLUSION The causes of brain atrophy differed from alcohol

abuse and dementia and the atrophy even halted with the abstinence of alcohol (Acuff, 2010).

Studies suggest that light to moderate alcohol consumptions may even decrease the risk of developing any dementia diseases.

Those same studies also suggest a similar rate of developing dementia diseases between non alcohol drinkers and heavy alcoholic consumption

REFERENCESAcuff, K. (2010, September 11). Alcoholism & Alzheimer's | LIVESTRONG.COM.

LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/240205-alcoholism-alzheimers/

Anstey, K. J., Mack, H. A., & Cherbuin, N. (2009). Alcohol Consumption as a Risk Factor for Dementia and Cognitive Decline: Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17(7), 542-556. Retrieved from Ebsco.

Dementia. (n.d.). Medicinenet.com. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/dementia/article.htm

Eberling, J. L., & Jaquist, W. J. (1995). Dementia and its causes. Alcohol Health and Research World., 19(4), 280-281. Retrieved from Ebsco.

FCA: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. (n.d.). Family Caregiver Alliance. Retrieved from http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=580

Galanis, D. J., Joseph, C., Masaki, K. H., Petrovich, H., Ross, G. W., & White, L. (2000). A Longitudinal Study of Drinking and Cognitive Performance in Elderly Japanese American Men. American jopurnal of Public Health, 90(8), 1254-1259.

Gordis, E. (1995). THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM: PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FUTURE GOALS. ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, Jan 1, 5-11. Retrieved from SIRS Knowledge.

Jaffe, J. H. (1993). The concept of dependence: Historical reflections. ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, 17(3), 188-189.

Tyas, S. L. (2001). Alcohol Use and the Risk of Developing Alzheimer's Disease. National Institue of Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism, 25(4), 299.