ArticleDrugs & aging2020
Temporal Trends in the Use of Anticholinergic Drugs Among Older People Living in Long-Term Care Facilities in Helsinki.
Article in Drugs & aging, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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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.
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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.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- A pragmatic, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial to assess the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of mirtazapine and carbamazepine in people with Alzheimer's disease and agitated behaviours: the HTA-SYMBAD trial.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Study of mirtazapine for agitated behaviours in dementia (SYMBAD): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Anticholinergic Burden in Elderly People in Nursing Homes: Cross-Sectional Assessment Using ACB Calculator and CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Medications causing potential cognitive impairment are common in nursing home dementia units - A cross-sectional study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2021Article
- Interventions to optimize medication use in nursing homes: a narrative review.European geriatric medicine · 2021Review
- Article
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Cumulative Anticholinergic Burden Among Older Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents with Overactive Bladder.Drugs & aging · 2021Article
- Relationship between Anticholinergic Burden and Health-Related Quality of Life among Residents in Long-Term Care.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2021Article
- Decrease of Anticholinergic Drug Use in Nursing Home Residents in the United States, 2009 to 2017.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) is common among older adults despite their known adverse effects, such as cognitive decline. Professionals should pay attention to DAPs, since evidence on their adverse effects has been accumulating during the last decade. However, to our knowledge previous studies exploring temporal trends in the use of DAPs are scarce.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to assess temporal trends in the use of DAPs from 2003 to 2017 in long-term care facilities in Helsinki.
methodsFour cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2017. Participants included older people (≥ 65 years) living in nursing homes (NHs) in 2003 (n = 1979), 2011 (n = 1568), and 2017 (n = 750), and in assisted living facilities (ALFs) in 2007 (n = 1336), 2011 (n = 1556), and 2017 (n = 1673) in Helsinki, Finland. Data on demographics, medication use, and diagnoses were collected by structured questionnaires. The assessments were conducted as a point prevalence over 1 day. The use of DAPs and the total anticholinergic burden were defined by the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS).
resultsIn ALFs, there has been an increasing trend in the use of DAPs over a 10-year period (41.2% in 2007 and 53.7% in 2017). In NHs, by contrast, the use of DAPs remained quite stable (52.3% in 2003 and 52.4% in 2017). The burden of DAPs measured by ARS score decreased in NHs and remained stable in ALFs. Marked changes occurred in the DAPs used; antidepressants, especially mirtazapine, increased in both settings, whereas the use of hydroxyzine and urinary antispasmodics nearly disappeared. The proportion of users of DAP antipsychotics increased in ALFs. Participants with dementia had a lower anticholinergic burden than those without dementia, in both settings.
conclusionsDespite increased knowledge of the harms of DAPs, they remain widely used. Physicians seem to be aware of the harms of DAPs among people with dementia, and some other favorable trends in prescribing were also observed. Clinicians should especially consider the indications behind the use of DAP antidepressants and antipsychotics, and carefully weigh their potential benefits and harms.
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