Anticholinergic drugs linked to increased risk of cognitive decline

A group of researchers based at the University of California San Diego (CA, USA) has identified that anticholinergic drugs can increase the risk of mild cognitive decline in elderly individuals. Those with biomarkers or genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease were found to be at even greater risk. The authors of the paper, published in Neurology®, suggest that prescription of anticholinergic drugs should be based on an individual’s neurodegenerative disorder risk profile. The study recruited 688 people with an average age of 74 who had no cognitive impairment at the time of recruitment. Over a 10-year period, each participant took...