Abstract
Pneumonia is one of the most common illnesses and one of the main causes of hospitalizations among the elderly. In view of the frequent prescription for the elderly, the possibility of an increased risk of pneumonia due to the use of anticholinergic drugs is an important field of study. This systematic review aims to investigate the association between the use of anticholinergic drugs and the risk of pneumonia in elderly patients. A search was carried out in the PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and Google Scholar databases and based on the PRISMA tool and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 6 articles were selected for analysis and discussion. It is inferred that the risk of pneumonia is increased in elderly patients who use anticholinergic drugs, especially more potent anticholinergics and in the treatment initiation phase. Physicians and other health professionals should take this evidence into account in clinical practice with elderly patients.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Edinho Pereira Pardin , Brenda Zanatta Barbosa , Robson Pereira dos Santos , Guilherme Sell de Mendonça e Silva , Lara Thaís Marcon , Lucas Pilatti Kolossovski , Betina Villaca Monteiro , Cibele Leite Marsura , Emanuel Racim Munhoz , Fábio Felber Retroz, Helton Freitas Queiroz , Luiza Racim Munhoz , Ailla Gabrielli Costa Silva , Ana Vitória Machado Duarte, Felipe Cardoso Rodrigues Vieira