Anticholinergic Drug Use and Risk to Cognitive Performance in Older Adults with Questionable Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Age-associated decline in central cholinergic activity makes older adults susceptible to the harmful effects of anticholinergic (AC) medications; however, there is an inadequate understanding of the association and possible effects of AC drugs on cognition. This cross-sectional study examines the associations of AC medications on cognition among older adults with questionable cognitive impairment (QCI).

Methods

For this cross-sectional study, we used a multicenter database of community-dwelling older adults (N = 7351) aged 60+ years with QCI, from September 2005 to March 2014, as the baseline data. The Anticholinergic Drug Scale was used to categorize AC drug load into no, low, or moderate/high groups. Individuals with a Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes score

SUBMITTER: Swami S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5823249 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature