Thirty-two-year trends in anticholinergic burden and associated mortality among US older adults: a population-based study - PubMed
5 days ago
- #mortality
- #anticholinergic burden
- #older adults
- Anticholinergic burden (AB) is linked to adverse health outcomes and mortality in older adults.
- Study analyzed 32 years of data from 16,188 older adults in NHANES.
- AB was assessed using the 2023 AGS Beers Criteria and four validated scales (ARS, ADS, ACB, ACSBC).
- Prevalence of strong anticholinergic medication use and high AB (score ≥ 3) declined significantly from 1988-94 to 2017-2020.
- High AB was independently associated with elevated all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality.
- Despite declining prevalence, high AB remains a strong predictor of mortality, emphasizing the need for safer prescribing in geriatric care.