Anticholinergic Burden - Treatment Optimization

Plain-language summary

There is increasing evidence that medications with anticholinergic effects may adversely impact cognitive function. Older adults are particularly sensitive to these effects due to age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The cumulative impact of taking one or more medications with anticholinergic properties is known as the anticholinergic burden. To quantify this burden, Boustani et al. (2008) developed the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale. The objective of this study is to examine whether optimizing pharmacotherapy concerning drugs with anticholinergic effects-identified by both the ACB scale and the newly developed Swe-ABS-can improve cognitive test performance among individuals attending a memory clinic. Anticholinergic drug use and cognitive performance will be assessed at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up.

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