What is it about?
Adults and older people with intellectual disabilities (ID) frequently receive anticholinergic drugs in chronic use, but only two published studies to date have investigated cumulative anticholinergic exposure and factors associated with high anticholinergic burden in this frail population.
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Why is it important?
People living in residential care were more likely exposed to high anticholinergic burden; both community housing and nursing home facility. There was also a significant association between with mental health conditions or a neurological disease. Neither demographic characteristics (age and gender) nor other clinical conditions (somatic comorbidity, levels and typology of ID) were associated with higher anticholinergic load. A high burden of anticholinergic was significantly more frequent in laxative users. Psychotropics drugs were the highest contributors to the anticholinergic burden in adult and old age ID, especially in those people living in institutional settings with mental health and/or neurological conditions.
Perspectives
It is urgent to pay attention to the cumulative exposure to anticholinergics and the demographic, social and clinical factors associated with high exposure.
Head of the Psycho-Pedagogical Area Tiziano Gomiero
ANFFAS Trentino Onlus
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Anticholinergic burden in adult and elderly people with intellectual disabilities: Results from an Italian multicenter cross-sectional study, PLoS ONE, October 2018, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205897.
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