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The Link Between Alcohol Use and Alzheimer's Disease: What You Need to Know

Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI) is brain damage caused by long-term excessive drinking. It can affect memory, thinking ability, and motor skills. For older people, controlling alcohol intake is crucial to prevent and improve symptoms.


Key Points

  • Alcoholic dementia is brain damage caused by long-term heavy drinking.
  • Symptoms include memory problems, difficulty with motor coordination, and malnutrition.
  • Diagnosis requires consideration of medical history, physical examination, and social history.
  • Treatment includes abstinence from alcohol, taking thiamine supplements, and making lifestyle adjustments.
  • Controlling alcohol intake is essential to prevent and improve symptoms.
  • Particular attention should be paid to alcohol consumption in older adults to reduce health risks.

Table of Contents

  • What is alcohol-related dementia?
  • What are the symptoms of alcohol-related dementia?
  • How is alcohol-related dementia diagnosed?
  • What are the treatment and management options for alcohol-related dementia?
  • What happens when someone with Alzheimer's drinks?
  • Do brain cells regenerate after you stop drinking?
  • How much alcohol is too much?
  • How much alcohol is safe for older people to drink?

What is alcohol-related dementia?

Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI) is brain damage caused by long-term alcohol abuse. This damage severely affects brain function, including memory, learning, thinking, personality, mood, and social skills. Although the term "alcohol-related dementia" was used in the past, the more accurate term today is alcohol-related brain injury.


What are the symptoms of alcohol-related dementia?

  • Irregular eye movements, double vision, and difficulty moving muscles.
  • Loss of motor coordination, poor balance, and unsteady or inability to walk.
  • Confusion or memory problems.
  • Signs of malnutrition, including unplanned weight loss, fatigue, weakness, and vitamin deficiencies.

How is alcohol-related dementia diagnosed?

  • Paper-based tests: Assess the patient's memory and thinking skills.
  • Complete physical exam: Take a detailed history of symptoms and their impact on your life.
  • Comprehensive evaluation: While there is no specific diagnostic test, doctors make a diagnosis based on social history, physical, and neurological examination results. Experts recommend alcohol testing for patients with memory loss to help with early diagnosis.

What are the treatment and management options for alcohol-related dementia?

  • Stop drinking and use thiamine supplements to help with recovery.
  • Lifestyle modifications: Use assistive devices (such as 40Hz products), maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and avoid alcohol. These changes may help improve symptoms, but symptoms such as gait changes, hallucinations, or memory loss may improve more slowly.

What happens when people with Alzheimer's drink alcohol?

Studies show that alcohol consumption accelerates brain cell loss in Alzheimer's patients and increases the number of amyloid plaques in the brain. These plaques accumulate between neurons, disrupting brain function .

Do Brain Cells Regenerate After Stopping Alcohol? 

After stopping alcohol, brain cell volume can return to normal levels, indicating that some alcohol-related brain damage is reversible. Research shows that the brain recovers from alcohol-induced volume loss quite rapidly within the first 14 days of abstinence.

How Much Alcohol is Considered Excessive? 

Alcohol consumption is measured in units. The NHS recommends that weekly alcohol intake should not exceed 14 units, ideally spread over three or more days. Particularly, "binge drinking" is especially harmful to the brain. Drinking more than 25 units per week may affect cognitive and normal functioning. Binge drinking in a short period, such as one night, is defined as drinking 8 or more units for men and 6 or more units for women.

How Much Alcohol is Safe for Older Adults? 

To help older adults minimize alcohol-related risks, guidelines suggest choosing not to drink or limiting alcohol intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.


reference

Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI)

Moderate Alcohol Use May Accelerate Alzheimer’s Disease

Alcohol's Effects on Health

Recognizing and Treating Alcohol-Related Dementia


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