Long term use of anticholinergics linked to cognitive decline and mortality in the old

This study, of 13,000 elderly subjects showed that chronic use of anticholinergics (a property of many commonly used medicines) was associated with increased cognitive decline and mortalility. The increased  mortality could of course be partly related to the fact that the patients are taking medications because they are ill in any case,  but the effects on mortality and cognitive impairment (known to be related to cholinergic function) are important and need to be recognised by physicians.


Anticholinergic cognitive Burden scale

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