ArticleBMJ open2019
Analysis of anticholinergic and sedative medicine effects on physical function, cognitive function, appetite and frailty: a cross-sectional study in Australia.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clozapine and Pneumonia: Synthesizing the Link by Reviewing Existing Reports-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Pooled it
- Association between Drug Therapy and Risk of Incident Frailty: A Systematic Review.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2024Pooled it
- Associations Between Anticholinergic Medication Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes in Older People with Frailty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2021Pooled it
- Quantifying Anticholinergic Burden and Sedative Load in Older Adults with Polypharmacy: A Systematic Review of Risk Scales and Models.Drugs & aging · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Observational
- Polypharmacy and anticholinergic burden scales in older adults: a cross-sectional study among psychiatric outpatients in a tertiary care hospital.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The relationship between anticholinergic drug burden and clinical frailty in urinary incontinence patients.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2025Article
- Innovations in pharmacovigilance studies of medicines in older people.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Review
- Effect of Increasing or Decreasing Use of Polypharmacy on Recovery of Activities of Daily Living in Patients With Stroke in the Recovery-Phase Rehabilitation Ward: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Propensity Score Matching.Stroke research and treatment · 2024Article
- Association of drug burden index with delirium in community-dwelling older adults with dementia: a longitudinal observational study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Observational
- Associations of poor sleep quality, chronic pain and depressive symptoms with frailty in older patients: is there a sex difference?BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- DOTA: Deep Learning Optimal Transport Approach to Advance Drug Repositioning for Alzheimer's Disease.Biomolecules · 2022Article
- Medicine-related problems: A recurrent issue among residents living in nursing homes.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Polypharmacy Results in Functional Impairment in Mice: Novel Insights Into Age and Sex Interactions.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2021Article
- The cognitive effects of anticholinergic drugs on apolipoprotein ε4 carriers and noncarriers in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention study.Neuropsychology · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo test the association between use of medicines with anticholinergic or sedative properties and physical function, cognitive function, appetite and frailty. DESIGN, SETTING AND
participantsThis cross-sectional study analysed baseline data collected as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a population-based cohort of 2087 participants aged 65 years or over living in South Australia.
main outcome measuresPhysical function was measured at baseline using measures including hand grip strength, walking speed, chair stands, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Cognitive function was measured using Mini-Mental State Examination. Appetite was measured using Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression question 2. Frailty was measured using frailty index. The association between use of anticholinergics or sedatives and physical or cognitive function, appetite, or frailty was assessed using analysis of covariance and ordinal or binary logistic regression.
resultsAlmost half of the population were using anticholinergics or sedatives (n=954, 45.7%). Use of anticholinergics was significantly associated with poorer grip strength, slower walking speed, poorer IADL and poorer appetite. Use of sedatives was significantly associated with poorer grip strength, slower walking speed and poorer IADL. We found no significant association between medicine use and cognitive function. Users of anticholinergics or sedatives were significantly more likely to be frail compared with non-users.
conclusionUse of medicines with anticholinergic or sedative properties is significantly associated with poorer physical function, poorer appetite and increased frailty. Early identification of signs and symptoms of deterioration associated with medicine use is particularly important in older people so that worsening frailty and subsequent adverse events are prevented.
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Registered trials
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