Long-Term Cardiovascular Risks of Anticholinergic Versus Non-Anticholinergic Antidepressants: A Target Trial Emulation With Negative Control Correction.
Yang Xu, Hong Xu, Jinxin Guo, Qoua Liang Her, Ruyu Li, Yongjie Lai, Yue Zhang, Edwin C K Tan, Siyan Zhan
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Antidepressants remain widely prescribed worldwide, and the potential cardiovascular risks associated with their anticholinergic properties are poorly understood.
Methods: We employed an active-comparator new-user design to emulate a target trial spanning 2006-2021 in UK Biobank. Participants aged ≥ 40 years with linked primary care records who newly initiated an anticholinergic vs. a non-anticholinergic antidepressant were included. The primary outcome was hospitalization or death from cardiovascular events. To adjust for measured and unmeasured confounding, we applied propensity score matching (PSM) with proximal causal inference (PCI) and negative control outcome calibration (NCOC) to estimate the intention-to-treat hazard difference (HD). Subgroup analyses were conducted by age, sex, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, apolipoprotein E genotype, and major comorbidities. Sensitivity analyses included data-driven negative control selection, alternative anticholinergic burden scale, comparisons across different anticholinergic burden levels, complete-case analysis, a 6-month induction period, and a 2-year washout period.
Results: The study included 24 547 anticholinergic antidepressant users and 20 519 non-anticholinergic users. Measured covariates were balanced among 32 588 PS-matched participants with a median follow-up of 9.1 years. Negative control correction revealed anticholinergic antidepressant use was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events (HDPSM + PCI: 59.96 per 10 000 person-years [95% CI: 43.32, 76.60]; HDPSM + NCOC: 31.35 [17.95, 45.26]). Elevated risks were observed for ischemic stroke, acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, arrhythmias, arterial disease, and venous thromboembolism. Results were consistent across subgroup and sensitivity analyses.
Conclusions: Anticholinergic antidepressants may increase the risk of cardiovascular events compared with non-anticholinergic antidepressants. These findings underscore prioritizing therapeutic options with a lower anticholinergic burden in clinical practice.
期刊介绍：
The aim of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety is to provide an international forum for the communication and evaluation of data, methods and opinion in the discipline of pharmacoepidemiology. The Journal publishes peer-reviewed reports of original research, invited reviews and a variety of guest editorials and commentaries embracing scientific, medical, statistical, legal and economic aspects of pharmacoepidemiology and post-marketing surveillance of drug safety. Appropriate material in these categories may also be considered for publication as a Brief Report.
Particular areas of interest include:
design, analysis, results, and interpretation of studies looking at the benefit or safety of specific pharmaceuticals, biologics, or medical devices, including studies in pharmacovigilance, postmarketing surveillance, pharmacoeconomics, patient safety, molecular pharmacoepidemiology, or any other study within the broad field of pharmacoepidemiology;
comparative effectiveness research relating to pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices. Comparative effectiveness research is the generation and synthesis of evidence that compares the benefits and harms of alternative methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition, as these methods are truly used in the real world;
methodologic contributions of relevance to pharmacoepidemiology, whether original contributions, reviews of existing methods, or tutorials for how to apply the methods of pharmacoepidemiology;
assessments of harm versus benefit in drug therapy;
patterns of drug utilization;
relationships between pharmacoepidemiology and the formulation and interpretation of regulatory guidelines;
evaluations of risk management plans and programmes relating to pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices.
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