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Published in Primary Care

Expert Opinion / Commentary · April 29, 2014

Delirium in Palliative Care Inpatients and the Burden of Anticholinergics

Written by
Kristin Zimmerman MD

 

Additional Info

  1. Kung HC, Hoyert DL, Xu JQ, Murphy SL. Deaths: final data for 2005. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2008;56(10):1-120.

  2. Inouye SK. Delirium in older persons. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:1157-1165.
  3. Flacker JM, Cummings V, Mach JR, et al. The association of serum anticholinergic activity with delirium in elderly medical patients. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1998;6:31-41.

  4. Centeno C, Sanz A, Bruera E. Delirium in advanced cancer patients. Palliat Med. 2004;18:184-194.

  5. Caeiro L, Ferro JM, Claro MI, et al. Delirium in acute stroke: a preliminary study of the role of anticholinergic medications. Eur J Neurol. 2004;11:699-704.
  6. Tune LE, Bylsma FW. Benzodiazepine-induced and anticholinergic-induced delirium in the elderly. Int Psychogeriatr. 1991;3:397-408.

  7. Mach JR, Dysken MW, Kuskowski M, et al. Serum anticholinergic activity in hospitalized older persons with delirium: a preliminary study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995;43:491–495.

  8. Fox C, Richardson K, Maidment ID, et al. Anticholinergic medication use and cognitive impairment in the older population: the medical research council cognitive function and ageing study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011;59:1477-1483.
  9. Agar M, Currow D, Plummer J, et al. Changes in anticholinergic load from regular prescribed medications in palliative care as death approaches. Palliat Med. 2009;23:257-265.
  10. Rudolph JL, Salow MJ, Angelini MC, et al. The Anticholinergic Risk Scale and anticholinergic adverse effects in older persons. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:508–513.
  11. Zimmerman KM, Salow M, Skarf LM, et al. Increasing anticholinergic burden and delirium in palliative care inpatients. Palliat Med. 2014;28(4):335-341.

Further Reading