CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale: An Updated Anticholinergic Burden Scale. Comparison with the ACB Scale in Spanish Individuals with Subjective Memory Complaints

20 páginas, 5 figuras, 5 tablasThe increase in life expectancy has also been accompanied by an increase in the use of medication to treat chronic diseases. Polypharmacy is associated with medication-related problems such as the increase in the anticholinergic burden. Older people are more susceptible to anticholinergic effects on the central nervous system and this, in turn, may be related to cognitive impairment. In this paper, we develop an updated anticholinergic burden scale, the CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale (CALS) via a systematic review of the literature and compare it with the currently most used Anticholinergic Burden Scale (ACB). Our new scale includes 217 different drugs with anticholinergic properties, 129 more than the ACB. Given the effect that anticholinergic medications have on cognitive performance, we then used both scales to investigate the relationship between anticholinergic burden and cognitive impairment in adult Spanish subjects with subjective memory complaint. In our population, we observed an association between cognitive impairment and the anticholinergic burden when measured by the new CALS, but not when the ACB was applied. The use of a more comprehensive and upgraded scale will allow better discrimination of the risk associated with the use of anticholinergic medications on cognitive impairment. CALS can help raise awareness among clinicians of the problems associated with the use of medications, or combinations of them, with large anticholinergic effect, and promote a better personalized pharmacological approach for each patient.This work was supported by SANTANDER-CEU FUSP-BS-PPC26/2018Peer reviewe

Prognostic value of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer disease

We performed a retrospective analysis of the patients assessed at our memory unit for whom Alzheimer disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid biomarker results were available. We selected patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association clinical criteria), confirmed neuropsychological deficit, a Global Deterioration Scale score of 3, and an abnormal profile of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. Of the 588 cases reviewed, 110 met the inclusion criteria. During follow-up, 50 cases (45.45%) progressed to dementia due to AD. Baseline levels of total and phosphorylated tau were higher in the group of patients that progressed to dementia than in those remaining with mild cognitive impairment. After adjusting for age, sex, history of hypertension, diabetes, and educational level, a 10% increase in total tau protein values was associated with a 7.60% increase in the risk of progression to dementia (hazard ratio: 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.28–3.84]; P = .004). Among patients with mild cognitive impairment due to AD and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid biomarker profiles, progressively higher concentrations of total or phosphorylated tau were associated with increased risk of progression to dementia. Resumen: Realizamos un análisis retrospectivo de los pacientes evaluados en nuestra unidad de memoria en los que se realizó determinación de biomarcadores licuorales de enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA). Se seleccionaron aquellos casos con diagnóstico de deterioro cognitivo leve debido a EA según criterios clínicos (criterios NIA-AA), déficit neuropsicológico comprobado, una puntuación igual a 3 en la escala GDS y un perfil alterado de biomarcadores en líquido cefalorraquídeo. De los 588 casos revisados, 110 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. Durante el seguimiento, 50 de estos 110 casos (45,45%) progresaron a demencia por EA. Se observaron diferencias significativas en los niveles basales de tau total y tau fosforilada entre los casos que evolucionaron a demencia y los que permanecieron estables como deterioro cognitivo leve, siendo los niveles más altos en el grupo que progresó a demencia. Después del ajuste por edad, sexo, antecedentes de hipertensión, diabetes y nivel educativo, un aumento del 10% en los valores de proteína tau total se asoció con un aumento del 7,60% en el riesgo de progresión a demencia (HR = 2,22, IC 95% [1,28, 3.84], P = .004). En pacientes con deterioro cognitivo leve debido a EA un perfil alterado de biomarcadores licuorales, concentraciones progresivamente mayores de tau-t y tau-p se asocian a un mayor riesgo de conversión a demencia