Inhaled Anticholinergics for COPD Raise Risks for Urinary Retention in Older Men

Elderly men taking inhaled anticholinergic drugs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease face increased risk for acute urinary retention, according to an Archives of Internal Medicine study.

Using healthcare databases, researchers assessed medication use, clinical visits, and hospitalizations among a cohort of Canadian patients with COPD (mean age, 76) over roughly 4.5 years. Among the findings:

• In men, acute urinary retention was significantly more common among new users of anticholinergics (prescription filled within 30 days of the retention episode) and among current users than among nonusers.

• Concurrent use of both long- and short-acting anticholinergics and the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia were associated with even higher risks.

• Women did not show increased risk.

The authors advise that patients "may benefit from close monitoring for ... impending urinary retention within the first month" of starting the drugs.