Table 1.
Characteristics of total study population and of patients exposed to anticholinergic burden.
| ALL | Total ACB score ≥ 1 | Total ACB score ≥ 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (%) | 1.474.864 (100) | 439.001 (29.8) | 111.491 (7.6) |
| Female patients (%) | 814.252 (56) | 260.501 (59) | 69.353 (62) |
| Age, years (SD) | 46.9 (24.1) | 53.8 (24.2) | 59.1 (19.9) |
| Number of prescriptions per patient (SD) | 11.4 (13.1) | 19.6 (16.9) | 25.3 (19.2) |
| Number of different medications prescribed per patient* (SD) | 4.9 (4.2) | 7.8 (5.1) | 9.4 (5.6) |
| Number of prescriptions with ACB per patient (SD) | 1.0 (2.5) | 3.3 (3.6) | 5.5 (5.3) |
| Number of different medications with ACB prescribed per patient* (SD) | 0.4 (0.8) | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.9 (1.1) |
| Number of patients per age groups (%) | |||
| children (≤18 years) | 239.287 (16.2) | 51.993 (11.8) | 2.898 (2.6) |
| adults (19–64 years) | 840.361 (57.0) | 216.670 (49.4) | 60.921 (54.6) |
| older adults (≥65 years) | 395.216 (26.8) | 170.338 (38.8) | 47.672 (42.8) |
*Different medications represent different ATC groups. ACB – anticholinergic cognitive burden. SD – standard deviation. Total ACB score ≥1 represents anticholinergic burden. Total ACB ≥ 3 represents clinically significant anticholinergic burden.