Association Between Anticholinergic Burden and Dry Mouth Severity in Acutely Ill Older Adults.

IF 4.2 3区医学 Q2 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Drugs & Aging Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-13 DOI:10.1007/s40266-026-01286-w

Ingrid Beate Ringstad, Eva Skovlund, Leonor Roa Santervas, Hege Kersten, Katrine Gahre Fjeld, Lene Hystad Hove, Torgeir Bruun Wyller, Janicke Liaaen Jensen, Rita Romskaug

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Dry mouth is a common and burdensome condition in older adults and its severity may increase with use of anticholinergic medications. The aims were to describe anticholinergic medication use among acutely ill older adults, examine the association between anticholinergic burden and dry mouth severity using the composite Dry Mouth Severity Points (DMSP) measure and investigate whether the association differs by sex.

Methods: Patients ≥70 years admitted to Oslo municipal inpatient acute care unit were eligible. Anticholinergic burden (ACB) was assessed using the ACB calculator and classified as 0, lower (ACB = 1-2) or high (ACB = ≥ 3). Dry mouth severity was quantified with DMSP, range 0-4, assigning one point for each indicator above cut-off: General Xerostomia Question ≥ 3, Summated Xerostomia Inventory ≥ 11, Clinical Oral Dryness Score ≥ 6 and unstimulated whole saliva secretion rate ≤ 0.1 mL/min. Associations were examined with ordinal logistic regression.

Results: Of 382 examined patients, 256 (mean age 84 ± 7 years, 70% women) had complete data. Mean [standard deviation (SD)] ACB score was 2.0 (1.7); 18% had ACB = 0, 50% had ACB = 1-2 and 32% had ACB = ≥ 3. DMSP scores of 0, 1, 2 and ≥ 3 were present in 29%, 36%, 23% and 12%, respectively. Compared with patients with ACB = 0, those with ACB = 1-2 [odds ratio (OR) = 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-3.97) and ACB = ≥ 3 (OR = 2.25, 95% CI 1.09-4.63) had higher odds of more severe dry mouth. Women had significantly higher ACB and DMSP scores than men.

Conclusions: Even lower anticholinergic burden was associated with greater dry mouth severity, highlighting the need for early recognition and proactive management in acutely ill older adults.

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老年人急性疾病中抗胆碱能负荷与口干严重程度的关系。

背景：口干是老年人常见且负担沉重的疾病，其严重程度可能随着抗胆碱能药物的使用而增加。目的是描述急性疾病老年人的抗胆碱能药物使用情况，使用复合口干严重程度点（DMSP）测量检查抗胆碱能负担与口干严重程度之间的关系，并调查这种关系是否因性别而异。方法：≥70岁的奥斯陆市立急诊科住院患者为研究对象。使用ACB计算器评估抗胆碱能负荷（ACB），并将其分为0、低（ACB = 1-2）和高（ACB =≥3）。用DMSP对口干严重程度进行量化，范围为0-4，对截止点以上的每项指标打分1分：一般口干问题≥3，综合口干量表≥11，临床口腔干燥评分≥6，未刺激的全唾液分泌率≤0.1 mL/min。用有序逻辑回归检验相关性。结果：382例患者中，256例（平均年龄84±7岁，70%为女性）资料完整。平均[标准差（SD）] ACB评分为2.0 (1.7)；18%的患者ACB = 0, 50%的患者ACB = 1-2, 32%的患者ACB = 3。DMSP评分为0、1、2和≥3的分别占29%、36%、23%和12%。与ACB = 0的患者相比，ACB = 1-2[比值比（OR) = 2.06, 95%可信区间（CI） 1.07-3.97）和ACB =≥3 （OR = 2.25, 95% CI 1.09-4.63）的患者发生更严重口干的几率更高。女性的ACB和DMSP得分明显高于男性。结论：即使较低的抗胆碱能负荷也与更严重的口干严重程度相关，这突出了对急性老年人疾病的早期识别和积极管理的必要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Drugs & Aging 医学-老年医学

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Drugs & Aging delivers essential information on the most important aspects of drug therapy to professionals involved in the care of the elderly. The journal addresses in a timely way the major issues relating to drug therapy in older adults including: the management of specific diseases, particularly those associated with aging, age-related physiological changes impacting drug therapy, drug utilization and prescribing in the elderly, polypharmacy and drug interactions.