On 24 June, researchers from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom published a paper in JAMA Internal Medicine analysing the link between cumulative anticholinergic drug use and the risk of developing dementia. The study evaluated data from a medical cohort of 58 769 people with dementia and 225 574 people without dementia which took place in general practices in England from January 2004 and January 2016. They were all 55 years old or older at baseline and had a least 11 years of recorded data prior to the date of diagnosis of dementia or equivalent date in matched controls.
Scientists reported statistically significant associations of dementia risk with the cumulative use of different types of anticholinergic medication including anticholinergic antidepressants, antiparkinson drugs, antipsychotic drugs, bladder antimuscarinics and antiepileptic drugs. Associations were also stronger in cases where the diagnostic was done before the age of 80 years. There was nearly a 50% increase in dementia risk in people aged 55 or over who had taken recommended daily doses of anticholinergic drugs for at least three years compared to people who had not used this type of medication.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2736353
