Anticholinergic Drug Use Can Confer Risk for Dementia

Guidelines suggest that anticholinergic drugs be avoided in older people, and evidence suggests that they are associated with cognitive decline. In this case-control study, investigators evaluated associations between exposure to anticholinergic drugs and risk for dementia among 41,000 elders (age range, 65–99; median age, 83) newly diagnosed with dementia and 284,000 controls without dementia who were matched to cases by sex, age, and residence.

The median drug-exposure period was 7 years. After adjustment for multiple covariates, prescription of any anticholinergic drug was associated with a significant 10% higher risk for dementia. By class, prescriptions for antidepressants, anti-Parkinson drugs, and urologic drugs with scores ≥3 on an a…