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

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.