Commonly Prescribed Drugs Are Tied to Nearly 50 Percent Higher Dementia Risk in Older Adults, Study Says

According to CNN , scientists have long suspected a possible link between anticholinergic drugs and an increased risk of dementia. A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine this week suggests that the link is strongest for certain classes of anticholinergic drugs — especially antidepressants, antipsychotics, bladder antimuscarinics, and antiepileptic drugs. Researchers wrote: "There was nearly a 50 percent increased odds of dementia" associated with a total anticholinergic exposure of more than 1,095 daily doses within a 10-year period, which is equivalent to an older man or woman taking a strong anticholinergic medication daily for at least three years compared with no exposure. "The study is important because it strengthens a growing body of evidence showing that strong anticholinergic drugs have long-term associations with dementia risk," commented Carol Coupland, first author of the study and professor of medical statistics in primary care at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. "This is important information for physicians to know when considering whether to prescribe these drugs." The research involved analyzing data on 284,343 adults 55 and older in the United Kingdom between 2004 and 2016. The data came from QResearch, a large database of anonymized health records. The research team found that the odds of dementia rose from 1.06 among those with the lowest anticholinergic exposure to 1.49 among those with the highest exposure versus having no prescriptions for anticholinergic drugs.