Anticholinergic Burden Assessment Tool
A tool for finding the ACB Score of commonly prescribed medicines, and for calculating the Anticholinergic Burden for your patient.
Anticholinergic Burden Assessment Tool
A tool for finding the ACB Score of commonly prescribed medicines, and for calculating the Anticholinergic Burden for your patient.
Anticholinergic Burden Assessment Tool
A tool for finding the ACB Score of commonly prescribed medicines, and for calculating the Anticholinergic Burden for your patient.
Anticholinergic Burden Assessment Tool
A tool for finding the ACB Score of commonly prescribed medicines, and for calculating the Anticholinergic Burden for your patient.
Antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepine
Anticonvulsants, anti-parkinsons, opioids
By using this site you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by our terms of use and privacy policy. All content and tools are for educational use only, are not meant to be a substitute for professional advice and should not be used for medical diagnosis and/or medical treatment.
About this Calculator
Drugs with possible anticholinergic effects are given a score of 1. Drugs with established and clinically relevant cognitive anticholinergic effects are given a score of either 2 or 3, based on the drug blood-brain barrier permeability and its association with the development of delirium. [1-3]
Exposure to medications with anticholinergic effects are associated with reduced physical and cognitive function [4]. Anticholinergic burden is dose-related and cumulative across drugs from different classes. Use of medications with definite anticholinergic effects was associated with a 0.33-point greater decline in MMSE score than not taking anticholinergics [5]. Each one point increase in the ACB total score has been correlated with a 26% increase in the risk of death [5].
Consider risks and benefits of continuous use of specific medications, and consider alternatives if:
- Patient receiving a medication that has an ACB score of 2 or 3.
- Total ACB score is 3 or more.
References
Boustani, M., Campbell, N., Munger, S., Maidment, I., & Fox, C.
Impact of anticholinergics on the aging brain: A review and practical application.
Aging Health, 4 (3): 311-320
Campbell, NL, Maidment, I, Fox, C, Khan, B & Boustani, M.
The 2012 update to the anticholinergic cognitive burden scale.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61 (S1): S142-S143
Campbell, NL., Maidment, I., Fox, C., Khan, B., & Boustani, M.
The 2012 update to the anticholinergic cognitive burden scale.
Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 61(S1), S142-S143. [C46]. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.2013.61.issue-s1
Kouladjian L, Gnjidic D, Chen TF, Mangoni AA, Hilmer SN.
Drug Burden Index in older adults: theoretical and practical issues.
Clinical Interventions in Aging 2014, 9: 1503-15
Fox, C. , Richardson, K. , Maidment, I. D., Savva, G. M., Matthews, F. E., Smithard, D. , Coulton, S. , Katona, C. , Boustani, M. A. and Brayne, C.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2011, 59 (8): 1477-83
The Anticholinergic Burden Assessment Tool calculator is created by QxMD.
1. Answer these 8 questions to receive the ACB Score and potential alternatives.
By using this site you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by our terms of use and privacy policy. All content and tools are for educational use only, are not meant to be a substitute for professional advice and should not be used for medical diagnosis and/or medical treatment.