Relationship between drug burden and physical and cognitive functions in a sample of nursing home patients with dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The Drug Burden Index (DBI) is a tool to quantify the anticholinergic and sedative load of drugs. Establishing functional correlates of the DBI could optimize drug prescribing in patients with dementia. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the relationship between DBI and cognitive and physical functions in a sample of patients with dementia.

Methods

Using performance-based tests, we measured physical and cognitive functions in 140 nursing home patients aged over 70 with all-cause dementia. We also determined anticholinergic DBI (AChDBI) and sedative DBI (SDBI) separately and in combination as total drug burden (TDB).

Results

Nearly one half of patients (48%) used at least one DBI-contributing drug. In 33% of the patients, drug burden was moderate (0 <

SUBMITTER: Sanders LMJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5684292 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature