Keele Research Repository

<h4>Background: </h4> Higher anticholinergic burden from medications is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cognitive function decline. A mechanistic pathway has never been established. We aimed to determine whether chronic inflammation may mediate these associations. <h4>Methods:</h4> Participants were drawn from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer, Norfolk cohort (40-79 years at baseline). The anticholinergic cognitive burden score (ACB) was calculated at baseline/first (1HC) (1993/97) and second (2HC) (1998/2000) health checks. Plasma fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured during 1HC and Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) during 2HC. Cross-sectional associations between ACB and inflammatory markers were examined for 1HC and 2HC, respectively. The prospective association was also examined between 1HC ACB and 2HC inflammatory markers. All models adjusted for age, sex, lifestyle factors, co-morbidities and medications. <h4>Results:</h4> 17,678 and 22,051 participants were included in cross-sectional analyses for CRP, and fibrinogen, respectively. A total of 5,101 participants with available data for TNF-α and IL-6 were included in the longitudinal analyses. Cross-sectionally, a point increase in the ACB was associated with a significant increase in all inflammatory markers (beta (standard error): fibrinogen – 0.035g/l (0.006), p<0.001; CRP 0.284mg/l (0.044), p<0.001; TNF-α 0.031pg/ml (0.010), p=0.002; and IL-6 0.112pg/ml (0.033), p=0.001. Longitudinally, a unit increase in the ACB was associated with a significant increase in TNF-α 0.028pg/ml (0.011), p=0.013 and IL-6 0.076 pg/ml (0.035), p=0.029. <h4>Conclusion:</h4> Higher anticholinergic burden was significantly associated with higher inflammatory markers. Inflammation may mediate the relationship between exposure to anticholinergic medications and adverse outcomes