Anticholinergic Burden – Calculating the Patient Impact
| Learning Objectives: |
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Discuss therapeutic use of anticholinergic drugs |
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Review anticholinergic properties of common drugs used for chronic diseases |
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Understand concept of anticholinergic load |
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Review adverse health consequences of using anticholinergic drugs in elderly patients |
Overview:
Anticholinergic drugs have been considered to be potentially inappropriate in elderly patients. They are used therapeutically in a wide variety of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and urinary incontinence to block muscarinic receptors. But what may be less well known is that other drugs used for a wide variety of other indications may also possess anticholinergic properties.
When these medications are used alone or in combination with other anticholinergic drugs, their effect may produce undesirable side effects in elderly patients and common medical problems may be worsened. Elderly patients receiving anticholinergic drugs may be misdiagnosed as having cognitive impairment.
Over-the-counter medications may also have anticholinergic properties and when taken with other anticholinergic drugs may cause or exacerbate cognitive deficits. When multiple drugs with anticholinergic activity are taken, the cumulative effect is referred to as anticholinergic load. Methodologies to estimate the anticholinergic load or burden have been explored.
Faculty
Patricia Slattum, PharmD, PhD
Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Graduate Studies
Department of Pharmacy/Department of Pharmaceutics
Virginia Commonwealth University
Program Date
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
 Presentation
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