Anticholinergic effects of medication in elderly patients.
Anticholinergic toxicity is a common problem in the elderly. It has many effects ranging from dry mouth, constipation, and visual impairments to confusion, delirium, and severe cognitive decline. The toxicity is often the result of the cumulative anticholinergic burden of multiple prescription medications and metabolites rather than of a single compound. The management of elderly patients, particularly those suffering from dementia, should therefore aim to reduce the use of medications with anticholinergic effects.
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Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Wesley Woods Center on Aging, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003221:Confusion / Q000139:chemically induced; D003248:Constipation / Q000139:chemically induced; D003693:Delirium / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000139:chemically induced
D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists