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 8,716 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.