AI Article Synopsis
- Anticholinergic/sedative drug use, assessed through the Drug Burden Index (DBI), is linked to cognitive decline in older adults, particularly those at risk of Alzheimer's disease.
- A study involving 206 older adults found that those with higher DBI values reported more severe subjective cognitive decline (SCD), especially among participants aged 65 and up.
- The findings suggest that increased drug exposure may serve as a pre-clinical indicator of neurodegenerative conditions, highlighting the need for further research to explore this potential connection.
Article Abstract
Background: Anticholinergic/sedative drug use, measured by the Drug Burden Index (DBI), has been linked to cognitive impairment in older adults. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be among the first symptoms patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience. We examined whether DBI values are associated with SCD in older adults at risk of AD. We hypothesized that increased DBI would be associated with greater SCD at older ages.
Method: Two-hundred-six community-dwelling, English-speaking adults (age = 65 ± 9 years) at risk of AD (42% apolipoprotein ε4 carriers; 78% with AD family history) were administered a single question to ascertain SCD: "Do you feel like your memory is becoming worse?" Response options were "No"; "Yes, but this does not worry me"; and "Yes, this worries me." DBI values were derived from self-reported medication regimens using older adult dosing recommendations. Adjusting for relevant covariates (comorbidities and polypharmacy), we examined independent effects of age and DBI on SCD, as well as the moderating effect of age on the DBI-SCD association at mean ± 1 SD of age.
Results: Both SCD and anticholinergic/sedative drug burden were prevalent. Greater drug burden was predictive of SCD severity, but age alone was not. A significant DBI*Age interaction emerged with greater drug burden corresponding to more severe SCD among individuals age 65 and older.
Conclusion: Anticholinergic/sedative drug exposure was associated with greater SCD in adults 65 and older at risk for AD. Longitudinal research is needed to understand if this relationship is a pre-clinical marker of neurodegenerative disease and predictive of future cognitive decline.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaa222 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Risk Assessment Prior to Cardiotoxic Anticancer Therapies in 7 Steps.
Br J Hosp Med (Lond)
January 2025
Cardio-Oncology Centre of Excellence, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
The burdens of cardiovascular (CV) diseases and cardiotoxic side effects of cancer treatment in oncology patients are increasing in parallel. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2022 Cardio-Oncology guidelines recommend the use of standardized risk stratification tools to determine the risk of cardiotoxicity associated with different anticancer treatment modalities and the severity of their complications. The use of the Heart Failure Association-International Cardio-Oncology Society (HFA-ICOS) is essential for assessing risk prior to starting cancer treatment, and validation of these methods has been performed in patients receiving anthracyclines, human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies and breakpoint cluster region-abelson oncogene locus (BCR-ABL) inhibitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdditive Effects of Glutathione in Improving Antibiotic Efficacy in HIV- Co-Infection in the Central Nervous System: A Systematic Review.
Viruses
January 2025
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
Background: HIV and tuberculosis (TB) co-infection poses a significant health challenge, particularly when involving the central nervous system (CNS), where it leads to severe morbidity and mortality. Current treatments face challenges such as drug resistance, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), and persistent inflammation. Glutathione (GSH) has the therapeutic potential to enhance treatment outcomes by improving antibiotic efficacy, reducing inflammation, and mitigating immune dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Ability of Combined Flavonol and Trihydroxyorganic Acid to Suppress SARS-CoV-2 Reproduction.
Viruses
December 2024
Scientific Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems, Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan, Almaty 080409, Kazakhstan.
The global burden of COVID-19 continues to rise, and despite significant progress in vaccine development, there remains a critical need for effective treatments for the severe inflammation and acute lung injury associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we explored the antiviral properties of a plant-derived complex consisting of flavonol and hydroxyorganic acid compounds. Our research focused on the ability of the flavonol and hydroxyorganic acid complex to suppress the activity of several key proteins involved in the replication and maturation of SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessing the Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Low-Income Communities: Challenges and Solutions.
Viruses
December 2024
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent a group of chronic and debilitating infections that affect more than one billion people, predominantly in low-income communities with limited health infrastructure. This paper analyzes the factors that perpetuate the burden of NTDs, highlighting how poor health infrastructure, unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and lack of therapeutic resources exacerbate their impact. The effectiveness of current interventions, such as mass drug administration (MDA) programs and improved sanitation, in reducing disease prevalence is examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrug-Drug Interactions Between HIV Antivirals and Concomitant Drugs in HIV Patients: What We Know and What We Need to Know.
Pharmaceutics
December 2024
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona University Hospital, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy has led to a significant increase in the life expectancy of people living with HIV. The trade-off is that HIV-infected patients often suffer from comorbidities that require additional treatment, increasing the risk of Drug-Drug Interactions (DDIs), the clinical relevance of which has often not been determined during registration trials of the drugs involved. Therefore, it is important to identify potential clinically relevant DDIs in order to establish the most appropriate therapeutic approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!