title: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and healing of hip fracture in Alzheimer's disease patients: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to assess effects of cholinergic stimulation using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), a group of drugs that stimulate cholinergic receptors and are used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), on healing of hip fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study was performed using 46-female AD patients, aged above 75 years, who sustained hip fractures. Study analyses included the first 6-months after hip fracture fixation procedure. Presence of AChEIs was used as predictor variable. Other variables that could affect study outcomes: age, body mass index (BMI), mental state or type of hip fracture, were also included. Radiographic union at fracture site (Hammer index), bone quality (Singh index) and fracture healing complications were recorded as study outcomes. The collected data was analyzed by student's-t, Mann-Whitney-U and chi-square tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences in age, BMI, mental state or type of hip fracture were observed between AChEIs-users and nonusers. However, AChEIs-users had better radiographic union at the fracture site (relative risk (RR),2.7; 95%confidence interval (CI),0.9-7.8), better bone quality (RR,2.0; 95%CI,1.2-3.3) and fewer healing complications (RR,0.8; 95%CI,0.7-1.0) than nonusers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In elderly female patients with AD, the use of AChEIs might be associated with an enhanced fracture healing and minimized complications.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0C7, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eimar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perez Lara
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tamimi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Márquez Sánchez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gormaz Talavera
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rojas Tomba
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: García de la Oliva
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tamimi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors