Delayed alcohol abuse can be a sign of dementia-ScienceDaily

Overall alcohol abuse is categorized as when alcohol consumption adversely affects work and social life, or has legal implications, and is found in 1.7% of older people in the United States. Previous studies have identified lifelong alcohol abuse as a risk factor for dementia. However, it is unclear whether older people who begin to abuse alcohol in their later years have the underlying neurodegenerative disease. Of particular concern is that people who begin to abuse alcohol because of their underlying neurological condition may be misdiagnosed as primary alcohol abuse and refer to traditional addiction treatment programs. And the burden of the caregiver.

“Our study found that lifelong alcohol abuse, delayed alcohol abuse, and the first symptoms of dementia in a group of patients with several forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. The purpose was to identify and compare the frequency of alcohol abuse. ”He is an associate professor of neurology at Ikarn Medical University in Mount Sinai, a medical director in the department of behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, and a senior dissertation. The author, Dr. Georges Nassan, said. “We have found that alcohol abuse can be the first sign of an underlying neurological condition when it manifests in later years. In fact, in patients with frontotemporal dementia. Up to 7% (nearly 1 in 15) began to abuse alcohol in their later years. 5% (1 in 20) did so as the first symptom of the disease. Retirement, loneliness, loss of income / While it is important to identify social factors that can lead to alcohol abuse, such as loved ones / housing, the data prevent alcohol abuse from being systematically attributed to these aspects and are frontotemporal to clinicians. Medical professionals should be encouraged to investigate the possibility of frontotemporal dementia. “

The research team made a clinical diagnosis of behavioral frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Alzheimer’s disease, or semantic primary progressive aphasia evaluated by the Academic Referral Center between 1999 and 2017. We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of the patients who received it. The presence of alcohol abuse was screened using the National Alzheimer’s Coordination Center UDS Questionnaire completed by the clinician during the patient’s study visit. Lifelong alcohol abuse is alcohol abuse that begins before the patient turns 40, delayed alcohol abuse begins at age 40 and over, and alcohol abuse as the first symptom of dementia is within the first 3 years. Defined as an abuse that has begun. Years before or after the onset of symptoms.

Of the 1,518 participants screened, late-onset alcohol abuse affected 2.2%, higher than 1.7% of the total elderly. The researchers found that patients with bvFTD had significantly more delayed alcohol abuse than patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but there was a difference in the frequency of lifelong alcohol abuse among the three dementia groups. There was not. They also found that alcohol abuse as the first symptom occurred in 1.4% of all patients and was 5 times more frequent in patients with bvFTD than in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The results show that not only is late-onset alcohol abuse much more frequent in bvFTD than Alzheimer’s disease, but the underlying biological mechanisms of late-onset and lifelong alcohol abuse may differ. ..

“Patients who started using alcohol in their later years are usually first seen by psychiatrists, primary care providers, and rehabilitation specialists, so these specialists say that neurodegenerative diseases develop alcohol abuse in people in later years. It should be noted that it may be underlying people who have not historically abused alcohol. Therefore, perform specific assessments, including checking for other frontal lobe symptoms, and are at risk. You need to refer your patient to a psychiatrist, “says Dr. Nassan. “Early and appropriate diagnosis of these patients is paramount to providing the best management, improving the quality of life for patients and their families, and guiding them to appropriate care facilities.”

This study was funded by the National Institute of Health Sciences, the National Institute on Aging, and the Larry L. Hilbrom Network Grant for the Prevention of Age-Related Cognitive Decline.