Monday, May 5, 2008

Common Medications Could Cause Physical Impairment in the Elderly

Two new studies show that anticholinergics, a commonly prescribed group of drugs, may cause elderly people to "slow down" in their daily physical activities.

The two reports from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine support findings released a few weeks ago that anticholinergic drugs -- which treat a variety of diseases and conditions, including acid reflux, Parkinson's disease and urinary incontinence -- may cause older people to lose their thinking skills more quickly than those who don't take the medicines.

Anticholinergic drugs work by stopping acetylcholine, a chemical that enhances communication between nerve cells in the brain, from binding to its receptors in nerve cells.

In the first Wake Forest study, older adults taking anticholinergics became more likely to walk more slowly and to need help in other daily activities.

READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST