Relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment in the adult population over 60 years of age: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol is the most consumed substance in Western culture and its use is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases and disorders. Our objective was to determine the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment in people aged ≥60, and identify which cognitive functions are most affected by prolonged alcohol consumption.

Methods: Search in MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Psicodoc, Cochrane and Web of Science databases. The search was limited to articles published from 2010 to 2020. A total of 8716 articles were obtained. Those repeated and unrelated to the topic were eliminated, leaving a total of seven articles: five longitudinal studies, covering the relationship between alcohol and cognitive impairment; and two cross-sectional studies, which helped identify which cognitive functions are more affected. This systematic review was carried out in accordance with the criteria of the PRISMA statement.

Results: Most of the studies found conclude that no or excessive alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, compared to moderate consumption. In addition, excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption can evolve into secondary alcoholic dementia such as Marchiafava-Bignami disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or pellagra. In people with alcohol use disorder, the cognitive functions that are most affected are executive functions, visuospatial skills, attention and memory.

Keywords: Alcohol; Alcoholic dementia; Cognitive functions; Cognitive impairment; Demencia; Demencia alcohólica; Dementia; Deterioro cognitivo; Encefalopatía de Wernicke-Korsakoff; Enfermedad de Marchiafava Bignami; Funciones cognitivas; Marchiafava–Bignami disease; Pelagra; Pellagra; Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.