2023-09-08 12:07:10
Heavy drinking increases the risk of developing dementia. You should pay attention to these symptoms and warning signs.
No longer knowing where the car is parked, no longer being interested in work, hobbies and contacts and ultimately even no longer recognizing one’s own children: those who suffer from dementia sometimes have to struggle with various symptoms. Anyone who likes to drink a lot of alcohol regularly puts themselves at risk of developing dementia.
In Germany alone, around 1.6 million people live with dementia. While the majority are due to irreversible forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s (60 to 65 percent) and vascular-related dementias (20 to 30 percent), for a small proportion of those affected the cause is the sequelae of other underlying diseases. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, this also includes, for example, chronic consumption of alcohol.
Can alcohol cause dementia?
In particular, regular consumption of alcohol in certain quantities can trigger dementia. Because alcohol is a poison that damages the human nervous system. A basic distinction is made between dementia primary and secondary forms. The primary form is Alzheimer’s dementia and vascular-related dementia, which arise, for example, from circulatory disorders in the brain. The relatively rare alcohol dementia falls into the category of secondary forms.
Alcohol dementia: How high is the risk for alcohol drinkers?
As part of the project ““DALKO – Risky alcohol consumption as a risk factor for dementia” A team from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research investigated this very connection. Through intensive literature analysis, the researchers led by Dr. Jakob Manthey and Dr. Carolin Kilian notes that there are new cases of dementia diagnosed every year that can be traced back to alcohol.
Alcohol dementia: What symptoms are the first warning signs of dementia?
It is important to diagnose those who are sick at an early stage in order to be able to offer those affected and their relatives the most tailored help possible. The difficulty: Most dementia progresses gradually and the first symptoms of dementia can only be recognized as such when looking back.
According to the Ministry of Health, these warning signs and symptoms can indicate dementia:
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Short-term memory suffers, habitual actions become difficult, it becomes difficult to speak correctly, interest in work, hobbies and social interaction disappears, difficulties in orientation, especially in unfamiliar surroundings, loss of overview: for example with one’s own finances or when assessing dangers, change in personality: the term “dementia” is derived from Latin and literally means “away from the mind” mistakes and wrongdoing are denied
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How can you prevent alcohol dementia?
The project researchers particularly emphasize that the risk of developing dementia increases when the following circumstances apply:
The affected person is “middle-aged” and is between 45 and 65 years old. They consume alcohol every day. The amount of pure alcohol consumed exceeds 24 grams
How much alcohol is too much?
According to the Federal Center for Health Education, in order to drink 24 grams of pure alcohol, you would have to drink more than two 300 milliliter glasses of beer with a strength of five percent by volume. Or half a liter of twelve percent wine or two glasses of schnapps. It is important to know that even a small amount of alcohol can damage the brain. In what they say is the largest study on the subject to date, researchers at the University of Oxford confirmed this assumption.
Does drinking less alcohol mean a lower risk of dementia?
According to the findings of the “DALKO” researchers, the answer is: yes. However, only in relation to alcohol-related dementia. Overall, however, the scientists write in their report, it can be summarized that “the regular consumption of large amounts of alcohol (=high-risk consumption) is associated with damage to cognitive functions and thus increases the risk of dementia.”
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