DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2004.02232.x British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Drugs with anticholinergic properties and cognitive performance in the elderly: results from the PAQUID Study Nathalie Lechevallier-Michel,1 Mathieu Molimard,1 Jean-François Dartigues,2 Colette Fabrigoule2 & Annie Fourrier-Réglat1 1Département de Pharmacologie, EA 3676: Médicaments, Produits et Systèmes de Santé and 2Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 593, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France Correspondence Objectives Annie Fourrier-Réglat, Département To measure the association between the use of drugs with anticholinergic properties de Pharmacologie, EA 3676: and cognitive performance in an elderly population, the PAQUID cohort. Médicaments, Produits et Systèmes de Santé, Université Victor Segalen Methods Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, The sample studied was composed of 1780 subjects aged 70 and older, living at 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. home in South western France. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, medical Tel: + 33 5 5757 1561 history and drug use were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Cognitive Fax: + 33 5 5757 4660 performance was assessed using the following neuropsychological tests: the Mini- E-mail:
[email protected] Mental State Examination (MMSE) which evaluates global cognitive functioning, the bordeaux2.fr Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) which assesses immediate visual memory, and the Isaacs’ Set Test (IST) which assesses verbal fluency. For each test, scores were dichotomized between low performance and normal to high performance using the score at the 10th percentile of the study sample as the cut-off point, according to Keywords age, gender and educational level.