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Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 2/2010

01-11-2010 | Review

Anticholinergic drug use and risk for dementia: target for dementia prevention

Authors: Frank Jessen, Hanna Kaduszkiewicz, Moritz Daerr, Horst Bickel, Michael Pentzek, Steffi Riedel-Heller, Michael Wagner, Siegfried Weyerer, Birgitt Wiese, Hendrik van den Bussche, Karl Broich, Wolfgang Maier

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Special Issue 2/2010

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Abstract

An increasing number of longitudinal cohort studies have identified a risk increase for dementia by the chronic use of drugs with anticholinergic properties. The respective data from the German Study on Aging, Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe) also showing risk increase (hazard ratio = 2.081) are reported here. The mechanisms by which the risk increase is transported are still unknown. Irritation of compensated alterations of cholinergic transmission at the pre-dementia stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or acceleration of neuroinflammation by disturbance of the anti-inflammatory effect of cholinergic innervation are discussed. In terms of dementia prevention, centrally acting anticholinergic drugs should be strictly avoided, because of long-term dementia risk increase in addition to acute negative effects on cognition.
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Metadata
Title
Anticholinergic drug use and risk for dementia: target for dementia prevention
Authors
Frank Jessen
Hanna Kaduszkiewicz
Moritz Daerr
Horst Bickel
Michael Pentzek
Steffi Riedel-Heller
Michael Wagner
Siegfried Weyerer
Birgitt Wiese
Hendrik van den Bussche
Karl Broich
Wolfgang Maier
Publication date
01-11-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue Special Issue 2/2010
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-010-0156-4

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