Abstract:

Background: Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Anticholinergic drugs have been frequently associated with a negative effect on cognition and increased risk of dementia. Previous studies have been restrained by comorbid medical problems in associating the diagnosis of dementia with anticholinergic drugs.

Research Questions: What is the association between chronic anticholinergic drug use and future dementia? Are the effects specific to a particular drug class? Is there a dose response?

Methods: This was a nested case-control study using the United Kingdom’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The CPRD includes demographics, clinical data, life style information, and prescribing records for 11.3 million patients in 674 primary care practices in the UK. Eligible…

Nanagas, Avera, Purpura, Murphy, Kao (2018). Articles You May Have Missed. Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology, 2018 Dec;14(4):327-330. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30353415