Anticholinergic Burden and Osteoporosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory rheumatological disease. Use of corticosteroids for more than 3 months in RA treatment is considered an important risk factor in terms of developing secondary osteoporosis and increasing the risk of fracture. The cumulative effect of taking one or more drugs with anticholinergic properties is called anticholinergic load. It is stated that anticholinergic load also increases the risk of fracture in individuals. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of drugs used by patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) on anticholinergic load and fracture risk. The Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) will be used to assess fracture risk in patients. Materials and methods: The study was planned as a prospective cohort study. The study will included 100 patients who were followed up as outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis in the physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic between 2024-2025. Patients of both genders and over 18 years of age diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis will be included in the study. Patients with systemic diseases or medications affecting bone metabolism and those with metallic materials in the hip or lumbar vertebrae affecting bone mineral density measurement will be excluded from the study. Demographic characteristics, systemic diseases, medications used, bone density measurement and blood test values of the patients will be recorded. Patients taking multiple medications with anticholinergic effects create an anticholinergic burden. The Anticholinergic Drug Scale, Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale and Anticholinergic Risk Scale will be used to measure anticholinergic burden in the study.

What you commit to

• Study type: Observational
• Participants enrolled: 120
• From 15 Sept 2025 to the primary completion date, 28 Nov 2025
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

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Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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