People who use drugs with anticholinergic effects, including certain antidepressants, drugs for urinary incontinence and common antihistamines, are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in BMC Medicine.
Anticholinergic drugs reduce the effect of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and are commonly prescribed to middle-aged and older people. This large group of drugs includes antihistamines used for allergic conditions, anxiety or insomnia, drugs for urinary incontinence, and certain antidepressants, where tricyclic antidepressants have a strong anticholinergic effect, whereas SSRIs have a weaker effect. A high cumulative use of these drugs, referred to as anticholinergic burden (see fact box), has previously been linked to…