Antimuscarinic medication used for the treatment of overactive bladder in women and the risk of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and mortality—a systematic review.

Background Overactive bladder is common among older women and often managed with antimuscarinic agents. These medications contribute to cumulative anticholinergic burden, which has been associated with adverse outcomes including cognitive decline, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study a...

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Publicado en:Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 1 - 12
Autores principales: Maguire, Turlough, Marr, Calum, Barry, Heather, Abdel-Fattah, Mohamed, McGuinness, Bernadette
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Feb2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        10.1093/ageing/afag027
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        atl: Antimuscarinic medication used for the treatment of overactive bladder in women and the risk of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and mortality—a systematic review.
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          Maguire, Turlough
          Marr, Calum
          Barry, Heather
          Abdel-Fattah, Mohamed
          McGuinness, Bernadette
        affil:
          School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences Block A, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
          School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
          School Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
      su:
        Competency assessment (Law)
        Psychology of women
        Memory
        Adults
        Dementia risk factors
        Cognition disorder risk factors
        Mortality risk factors
        Risk assessment
        Medical information storage & retrieval systems
        Cognitive testing
        CINAHL database
        Cardiovascular diseases risk factors
        Meta-analysis
        Descriptive statistics
        Systematic reviews
        Odds ratio
        MEDLINE
        Muscarinic antagonists
        Confidence intervals
        Data analysis software
        Overactive bladder
        Patient aftercare
        Psychology information storage & retrieval systems
      sug:
        subj:
          Competency assessment (Law)
          Psychology of women
          Memory
          Adults
          Home Health Care Services
          Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
          Dementia risk factors
          Cognition disorder risk factors
          Mortality risk factors
          Risk assessment
          Medical information storage & retrieval systems
          Cognitive testing
          CINAHL database
          Cardiovascular diseases risk factors
          Meta-analysis
          Descriptive statistics
          Systematic reviews
          Odds ratio
          MEDLINE
          Muscarinic antagonists
          Confidence intervals
          Data analysis software
          Overactive bladder
          Patient aftercare
          Psychology information storage & retrieval systems
      keyword:
        antimuscarinic
        cardiovascular
        cardiovascular diseases
        cardiovascular system
        cognitive
        cognitive impairment
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        dementia
        follow-up
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag027
        inLanguage:en
        mortality
        muscarinic antagonists
        older adult
        older people
        overactive bladder
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        randomization
        risks
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41686541/
        systematic review
        urinary bladder
        antimuscarinic
        cardiovascular
        cardiovascular diseases
        cardiovascular system
        cognitive
        cognitive impairment
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        dementia
        follow-up
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag027
        inLanguage:en
        mortality
        muscarinic antagonists
        older adult
        older people
        overactive bladder
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        randomization
        risks
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41686541/
        systematic review
        urinary bladder
      ab: Background Overactive bladder is common among older women and often managed with antimuscarinic agents. These medications contribute to cumulative anticholinergic burden, which has been associated with adverse outcomes including cognitive decline, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the association between bladder antimuscarinics and these outcomes in adult women. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PROSPERO registration. Six databases were searched up to 15 January 2025. Eligible studies included adult women (≥18 years, >50% female sample) exposed to antimuscarinics, compared to placebo or non-use and reported outcomes of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease or mortality. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), observational cohort studies and case–control studies were included. Data were synthesised using a random effects model. Results Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria, all in older populations. Meta-analysis of eight RCTs (n  = 675 participants) found no significant cognitive effects at mean follow-up of 19.5 days [standardised mean difference −0.23; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.61 to 0.15, I2 75%]. Ten cohort studies indicated increased risk of cognitive decline or dementia at mean follow-up of 7.5 years, with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.33 (95% CI 1.10–1.61) and a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.24 (95% CI 1.19–1.30). Two studies reported increased cardiovascular risk (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.01–1.25) and three studies reported increased mortality (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.17–1.36). All studies demonstrated concerns regarding risk of bias. Conclusion Bladder antimuscarinics may increase long-term risks of dementia, cardiovascular events and mortality in older women. While RCTs do not suggest direct cognitive harm, caution is advised. These findings are constrained by the low quality of the underlying evidence.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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