Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge Among Geriatric Inpatients: A Single-Center Retrospective…

Cohort studyInternational journal of general medicine· 2026

Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge Among Geriatric Inpatients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Ayesha Akhtar, Fatima Balquis, Shazia Jamshed … Naji Alqahtani

GeriatricsCohort studyClinical practice

Anticholinergic burden score of 1 or higher grew more common by hospital discharge.

Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge Among Geriatric Inpatients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Ayesha Akhtar … Naji Alqahtani

International journal of general medicine · 2026

Background

Anticholinergic medications are widely prescribed in older adults and contribute to cumulative anticholinergic burden (anticholinergic burden), which is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Purpose

To assess prescribing patterns of medications with anticholinergic properties and quantify anticholinergic burden at admission and discharge among geriatric inpatients, and to evaluate its association with polypharmacy and clinical predictors.

Methods

Aged ≥60 years with complete medication records were included.

n = 1100 patients

Results

nearly 4 in 10 discharged patients now had significant anticholinergic burden

More results

Polypharmacy increased from 49.5% at admission to 84.5% at discharge (p<0.001).

Heart failure, renal disorders, higher comorbidity count, and longer hospital stay were independently associated with higher anticholinergic burden at discharge.

Male gender was associated with lower odds of anticholinergic burden.

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Conclusion

Anticholinergic burden and polypharmacy are common and increase during hospitalization among geriatric patients. Targeted medication review at admission and discharge may help reduce cumulative anticholinergic exposure.

Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge Among Geriatric Inpatients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Anticholinergic Burden at Admission and Discharge Among Geriatric Inpatients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

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