“Alcohol abuse, together with diabetes and nitrogen dioxide (an index of traffic air pollution), is also a major cause of increased risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, according to an Anglo-Canadian study just published in 'Nature Communications'”. This was underlined by the president of the Italian Society of Neurology (Sin) Alessandro Padovani, of the University of Brescia, for the Alcohol Prevention Day, the world day for the prevention of alcohol abuse, proclaimed by the Collaborating Center on Alcohol and Public Health Policy Research of the WHO on 18 April, with the aim of providing updated information on the negative effects of alcohol abuse on health and society.
In our country, the Higher Institute of Health, the Italian Alcohol Society SIA and the Italian Association of Territorial Alcohol Clubs Aicat are members to promote the culture of prevention, awareness and individual and social responsibility in the area, also in relation to the plague. the number of road accidents due to alcohol abuse continues to grow, especially among new drivers.
“As we indicated in the One Brain One Health Manifesto which summarizes the Italian strategy for brain health 2023-2031, today we are exposed to various cumulative risk factors which require a holistic approach that considers them all – underlines Padovani – So not only the hypertension, diabetes and obesity are already known, but also factors related to lifestyle such as physical exercise and alcohol consumption”. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the damage of abuse: in the USA before the age of 21, this is one of the main preventable causes of death due to road accidents, homicides, binge drinking (alcohol overdose), falls, burns, drownings and suicides. The situation does not change much in Italy: the Itisan 2023 Report of the ISS indicates that alcohol is the third factor for the risk of disease and premature death after smoking and arterial hypertension. Another ISS survey (Steps 21-22) indicates that between 18 and 21 years of age, despite the fact that in this age group the permitted blood alcohol threshold is zero, 4% of drivers get behind the wheel after drinking.
On the opposite side – neurologists continue to highlight – there is the excessive consumption of alcohol by the elderly, reported among others by the American Addiction Centers according to which alcohol is the most used substance of abuse after the age of 65. According to the Samhsa (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) 11% of over 65s suffer from binge drinking, drinking so much that they have a plasma concentration equal to or greater than 0.08 g/dl.
In the elderly – experts warn – this can lead to dehydration, interactions with the various drugs that they often take due to the comorbidities they often suffer from, such as diabetes, hypertension, myocardiopathy, liver disease, osteoporosis, memory and mood disorders.
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