Anticholinergic burden tied to adverse effects in middle age

Anticholinergic burden tied to adverse effects in middle age

Anticholinergic burden (ACB) is associated with adverse outcomes in a middle- to older-aged population, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

Peter Hanlon, from University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and colleagues used data from the U.K. Biobank community cohort (502,538 participants; baseline age, 37 to 73 years; median years of follow-up, 6.2 years) to quantify ACB. Biobank data were linked to national mortality register records and hospital episode data.

The researchers found that medication use varied from 8 to 17.6 percent depending on the scale used. ACB was significantly associated with a composite of all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) for each scale. The association with mortality/MACE was most strongly associated with the Anticholinergic Drug Scale (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12 per 1-point increase in score). There were also significant associations between ACB and all secondary outcomes (all-cause mortality, MACE, hospital admission for fall/fracture, and hospital admission with dementia/delirium). The association with dementia/delirium was strongest with the Anticholinergic Effect on Cognition scale (HR, 1.45 per 1-point increase).

"Scale choice influenced the population identified as potentially requiring reduction in ACB in or intervention trials," the authors write.

More information: Abstract/Full Text

Journal information: Annals of Family Medicine

Copyright © 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Citation: Anticholinergic burden tied to adverse effects in middle age (2020, March 11) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-anticholinergic-burden-tied-adverse-effects_1.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Anticholinergic burden tied to adverse effects in middle age

2 shares

Feedback to editors