Alcohol consumption and transition of mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
OBJECTIVE
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodrome for dementia. Alcohol drinking patterns may affect cognitive functions and the effects may accumulate to a significant level at an advanced age. This study investigated the relationship between alcohol consumption and risks for dementia in a cohort of elderly patients with MCI.


METHODS
Patients with suspected cognitive impairment were screened. One hundred and seventy-six patients who met the MCI criteria were enrolled. Lifetime and daily alcohol consumptions were assessed at baseline using a self-report questionnaire answered by patients and their caregivers. Patients were classified according to alcohol consumptions as abstainers, light-moderate and heavy drinkers. Global cognitive functions were assessed periodically with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Enrolled patients were followed for 2 years.


RESULTS
Of the 176 patients diagnosed as having MCI, 15 (8.5%) died, 13 (7.4%) were lost to follow up, and 66 (37.5%) developed dementia during follow up. Light-moderate alcohol drinkers had better MMSE performance than abstainers (P < 0.05) and heavy drinkers (P < 0.01) 2 years after MCI diagnosis. Patients who consumed a total of <or=300 kg alcohol prior to MCI diagnosis had less cognitive decline than patients who consumed no (P < 0.05) or >300 kg alcohol (P < 0.01). Heavy drinkers had a higher risk for dementia than abstainers (P < 0.05) and light-moderate drinkers (P < 0.05) 2 years after MCI diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
A J-shaped relationship may exist between alcohol consumption and cognitive decline in MCI patients. Light-moderate alcohol drinking may be associated with decreased risks for dementia in elderly patients with MCI.
Xu
Gelin
G
Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. gelinxu@gmail.com
Liu
Xinfeng
X
Yin
Qin
Q
Zhu
Wusheng
W
Zhang
Renliang
R
Fan
Xiaobing
X
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed