Baseline Characteristics and Health Care Use of Study Cohort, Overall and Stratified by Age
| Characteristic | Overall (N=116,043) | Aged 65–74 Years (n=78,993) | Aged 75–84 Years (n=32,282) | Aged ≥85 Years (n=4,768) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female, No. (%) | 57,523 (49.57) | 38,788 (49.10) | 15,933 (49.36) | 2,802 (58.77) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | ||||
| Total sample, mean (SD) | 1.17 (1.36) | 1.13 (1.34) | 1.27 (1.40) | 1.16 (1.39) |
| Female, mean (SD) | 1.13 (1.36) | 1.12 (1.35) | 1.19 (1.38) | 1.06 (1.33) |
| Male, mean (SD) | 1.20 (1.36) | 1.14 (1.33) | 1.34 (1.42) | 1.30 (1.45) |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Hypertension, No. (%) | 44,278 (38.16) | 29,692 (37.59) | 12,916 (40.01) | 1,670 (35.03) |
| Diabetes, No. (%) | 20,852 (17.97) | 15,017 (19.01) | 5,364 (16.62) | 471 (9.88) |
| Dyslipidemia, No. (%) | 15,065 (12.98) | 11,344 (14.36) | 3,481 (10.78) | 240 (5.03) |
| Coronary artery disease, No. (%) | 23,475 (20.23) | 15,151 (19.18) | 7,378 (22.85) | 946 (19.84) |
| Congestive heart failure, No. (%) | 7,064 (6.09) | 4,082 (5.17) | 2,513 (7.78) | 469 (9.84) |
| Cerebrovascular disease, No. (%) | 14,915 (12.85) | 8,803 (11.14) | 5,255 (16.28) | 857 (17.97) |
| Dementia, No. (%) | 2,873 (2.48) | 1,202 (1.52) | 1,293 (4.01) | 378 (7.93) |
| Depression, No. (%) | 3,278 (2.82) | 2,246 (2.84) | 931 (2.88) | 101 (2.12) |
| Psychosis/schizophrenia, No. (%) | 3,185 (2.74) | 1,481 (1.87) | 1,331 (4.12) | 373 (7.82) |
| Parkinson disease, No. (%) | 2,491 (2.15) | 1,311 (1.66) | 1,012 (3.13) | 168 (3.52) |
| Arthritis, No. (%) | 32,979 (28.42) | 22,147 (28.04) | 9,526 (29.51) | 1,306 (27.39) |
| Osteoporosis, No. (%) | 10,217 (8.80) | 6,623 (8.38) | 3,086 (9.56) | 508 (10.65) |
| Use of ambulatory care, annually | ||||
| Number of visits, mean (SD) | 24.44 (19.92) | 23.82 (19.41) | 26.06 (20.95) | 23.64 (20.60) |
| Use of all drugs, monthly | ||||
| Number of drugs used, mean (SD) | 2.47 (2.40) | 2.36 (2.35) | 2.75 (2.50) | 2.40 (2.33) |
| ≥1 drug, No. (%) | 74,408 (64.12) | 49,260 (62.36) | 22,105 (68.47) | 3,043 (63.82) |
| ≥5 drugs, No. (%) | 18,178 (15.66) | 11,422 (14.46) | 6,040 (18.71) | 716 (15.02) |
| ≥10 drugs, No. (%) | 1,005 (0.87) | 630 (0.80) | 344 (1.07) | 31 (0.65) |
| Use of anticholinergic drugs | ||||
| ARS | ||||
| Scorea per month, mean (SD) | 0.26 (0.57) | 0.24 (0.56) | 0.29 (0.61) | 0.26 (0.56) |
| Use of ≥1 drug per year, No. (%) | 43,301 (37.31) | 28,665 (36.29) | 12,839 (39.77) | 1,797 (37.69) |
| ACB | ||||
| Scorea per month, mean (SD) | 0.60 (0.92) | 0.57 (0.89) | 0.69 (0.97) | 0.64 (0.94) |
| Use of ≥1 drug per year, No. (%) | 69,619 (59.99) | 46,024 (58.26) | 20,706 (64.14) | 2,889 (60.59) |
| DBI-Ach | ||||
| Scoreb per month, mean (SD) | 0.04 (0.09) | 0.04 (0.09) | 0.04 (0.10) | 0.04 (0.09) |
| Use of ≥1 drug per year, No. (%) | 43,301 (37.31) | 28,665 (36.29) | 12,839 (39.77) | 1,797 (37.69) |
ACB = Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden scale; ARS = Anticholinergic Risk Scale; DBI-Ach = Drug Burden Index - Anticholinergic component.
↵a ARS and ACB scores were calculated as the sum of the rankings for all prescribed drugs, with higher scores indicating greater anticholinergic burden.
↵b DBI-Ach score ranges from 0 to 1, with 0.5 indicating that an individual is exposed to an anticholinergic drug at the minimum recommended daily dose.