BACKGROUND: Many potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed to older people have anticholinergic properties and may therefore be harmful. Drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) are associated with cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to study the profile of various cognitive functions related to current use of DAPs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Helsinki, Finland, and included 400 home-dwelling individuals aged 75-90 years without major clinical dementia but with a history of stable atherosclerotic disease who were participants of the DEBATE (Drugs and Evidence-Based Medicine in the Elderly) study. The cognition of the users (n = 295) and non-users (n = 105) of DAPs was measured with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) test battery. RESULTS: Use of DAPs was statistically significantly associated with a low score in verbal fluency, in naming, and on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). In the logistic regression analysis, the difference remained for low verbal fluency (odds ratio [OR] 1.84, 95 % CI 1.02-3.32; p = 0.044) and naming (OR 1.81, 95 % CI 1.09-3.00; p = 0.021) but not for MMSE score after adjusting for age, sex and education. CONCLUSIONS: Performances for verbal fluency and naming were poorer in DAP users than in non-users, suggesting a possible impairment of executive functioning and semantic memory. The dimensions of the CERAD test assessing episodic memory-the subtests that are the most sensitive in terms of detecting early Alzheimer's disease-did not show differences between users and non-users of DAPs.
BACKGROUND: Many potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed to older people have anticholinergic properties and may therefore be harmful. Drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) are associated with cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to study the profile of various cognitive functions related to current use of DAPs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Helsinki, Finland, and included 400 home-dwelling individuals aged 75-90 years without major clinical dementia but with a history of stable atherosclerotic disease who were participants of the DEBATE (Drugs and Evidence-Based Medicine in the Elderly) study. The cognition of the users (n = 295) and non-users (n = 105) of DAPs was measured with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) test battery. RESULTS: Use of DAPs was statistically significantly associated with a low score in verbal fluency, in naming, and on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). In the logistic regression analysis, the difference remained for low verbal fluency (odds ratio [OR] 1.84, 95 % CI 1.02-3.32; p = 0.044) and naming (OR 1.81, 95 % CI 1.09-3.00; p = 0.021) but not for MMSE score after adjusting for age, sex and education. CONCLUSIONS: Performances for verbal fluency and naming were poorer in DAP users than in non-users, suggesting a possible impairment of executive functioning and semantic memory. The dimensions of the CERAD test assessing episodic memory-the subtests that are the most sensitive in terms of detecting early Alzheimer's disease-did not show differences between users and non-users of DAPs.
Authors: J C Morris; A Heyman; R C Mohs; J P Hughes; G van Belle; G Fillenbaum; E D Mellits; C Clark Journal: Neurology Date: 1989-09 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Shannon L Risacher; Brenna C McDonald; Eileen F Tallman; John D West; Martin R Farlow; Fredrick W Unverzagt; Sujuan Gao; Malaz Boustani; Paul K Crane; Ronald C Petersen; Clifford R Jack; William J Jagust; Paul S Aisen; Michael W Weiner; Andrew J Saykin Journal: JAMA Neurol Date: 2016-06-01 Impact factor: 18.302
Authors: Jacqueline B Palmer; Jennifer S Albrecht; Yujin Park; Sarah Dutcher; Gail B Rattinger; Linda Simoni-Wastila; Loreen D Walker; Ilene H Zuckerman Journal: Drugs Aging Date: 2015-01 Impact factor: 3.923
Authors: Karri Kaivola; Anna Kiviharju; Lilja Jansson; Ville Rantalainen; Johan G Eriksson; Timo E Strandberg; Hannu Laaksovirta; Alan E Renton; Bryan J Traynor; Liisa Myllykangas; Pentti J Tienari Journal: Neurobiol Aging Date: 2019-03-11 Impact factor: 4.673