| Popis: |
Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes that the adverse effects of alcohol on cognitive functioning are both complex and varied and may generally be divided into two types: the peak effects of acute alcohol intoxication, and the impact of long-term exposure giving rise to alcohol-related dementia (ARD) and neuropathies. The relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia, that is progressive cognitive dysfunction, has been the subject of considerable debate over the past decade as it has been suggested on the one hand that moderate alcohol use may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease (AD), while on the other alcohol abuse may induce ARD, a form of dementia which is clinically different from either AD or vascular dementia, and appears directly attributable to chronic alcohol consumption and its related risks. The chapter describes that cases of ARD are estimated to have nearly twice the average length of institutionalization of other forms of dementia making it a significant public health problem. The chapter concludes that in the face of population aging there is thus a clear need for methodologically sound prospective epidemiological studies of ARD based on internationally acceptable diagnostic algorithms for the identification of risk factors other than just alcohol use, such as susceptibility genes, co-morbidities and environmental exposures, which may be used to develop more robust models of etiology with a view to providing better screening and preventive programs. |
