Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41107681›Full record

Observational studyDrug safety2026

Anticholinergic Drug Use in Elderly Patients: Compliance with STOPP-START and BEERS Criteria in Spain-A Descriptive Study.

Javier Santandreu, Francisco Félix Caballero, Elena González-Burgos

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Observational study in Drug safety, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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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.

2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Javier SantandreuDepartment of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Francisco Félix CaballeroDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and CIBERESP (CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health), Madrid, Spain.
Elena González-BurgosDepartment of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. elenagon@ucm.es.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDementia is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Several studies have demonstrated an association between anticholinergic drug use and an increased risk of cognitive and physical impairment. However, anticholinergic drugs are commonly prescribed for various clinical conditions, and their cumulative effects, referred to as anticholinergic burden, can contribute to cognitive decline and dementia. Although the causal relationship remains inconclusive, a higher anticholinergic burden is linked to a greater risk of cognitive deterioration.

objectiveThis study aims to assess the compliance of patients aged ≥ 65 years with the STOPP-START and Beers criteria concerning the concurrent use of medications with high anticholinergic potency in situations where their use is not clinically justified.

methodsThis observational descriptive study was conducted using data from the Spanish Database for Pharmacoepidemiological Research (BIFAP). The study population comprised male and female patients aged ≥ 65 years.

resultsOf the 81,405 patients who developed dementia during the study period, 46.7% had been exposed to multiple anticholinergic drugs. Among them, 81.1% used these drugs sequentially, while 18.9% used two or more simultaneously. The absolute risk of developing dementia was 6.5% in patients who met the STOPP-START and BEERS criteria, compared to 13.4% in those who did not.

conclusionAlthough a high anticholinergic burden is a risk factor for cognitive decline, the unjustified concurrent use of multiple anticholinergic drugs remains uncommon among the elderly population in Spain.

Indexed as

Cholinergic AntagonistsDementiaPotentially Inappropriate Medication ListAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleSpainCholinergic Antagonists

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