Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33491038›Full record

ArticleThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2021

Relationship between Anticholinergic Burden and Health-Related Quality of Life among Residents in Long-Term Care.

U L Aalto, H Finne-Soveri, H Kautiainen, H Öhman, H-M Roitto, K H Pitkälä

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Anticholinergic load and quality of life in Australian residential aged care: a retrospective cohort study.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

U L AaltoUlla L. Aalto, MD; Dept of Social Services and Health Care, Helsinki Hospital, Home-care Services, PO BOX 6540, FI-00099 City of Helsinki, Finland, e-mail: ulla.aalto@fimnet.fi.
H Finne-Soveri
H Kautiainen
H Öhman
H-M Roitto
K H Pitkälä

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesAnticholinergic burden defined by the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS) has been associated with cognitive and functional decline. Associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) have been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to examine the association between anticholinergic burden and HRQoL among older people living in long-term care. Further, we investigated whether there is an interaction between ARS score and HRQoL in certain underlying conditions. DESIGN AND

participantsCross-sectional study in 2017. Participants were older people residing in long-term care facilities (N=2474) in Helsinki. MEASUREMENTS: Data on anticholinergic burden was assessed by ARS score, nutritional status by Mini Nutritional Assessment, and HRQoL by the 15D instrument.

resultsOf the participants, 54% regularly used ARS-defined drugs, and 22% had ARS scores ≥2. Higher ARS scores were associated with better cognition, functioning, nutritional status and higher HRQoL. When viewing participants separately according to a diagnosis of dementia, nutritional status or level of dependency, HRQoL was lower among those having dementia, worse nutritional status, or being dependent on another person's help (adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities). Significant differences within the groups according to ARS score were no longer observed. However, interactions between ARS score and dementia and dependency emerged.

conclusionIn primary analysis there was an association between ARS score and HRQoL. However, this relationship disappeared after stratification by dementia, nutritional status and dependency. The reasons behind the interaction concerning dementia or dependency remain unclear and warrant further studies.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overCholinergic AntagonistsCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLong-Term CareMaleQuality of LifeCholinergic AntagonistsAnticholinergic burdendementiaHRQoLlong-term carenursing home

Identifiers

PMID33491038
PMCPMC12876771

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.