title: Cognitive impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially in severe forms, is commonly associated with multiple cognitive problems. Montreal Cognitive Assessment test (MoCA) is used to detect cognitive impairment evaluating several areas: visuospatial, memory, attention and fluency. Our study aim was to evaluate the impact of stable COPD and exacerbation (AECOPD) phases on cognitive status using MoCA questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 39 patients (pts), smokers with COPD group D (30 stable and 9 in AECOPD) and 13 healthy subjects (control group), having similar level of education and no significant differences regarding the anthropometric measurements. We analyzed the differences in MoCA score between these three groups and also the correlation between this score and inflammatory markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with AECOPD had a significant (p<0.001) decreased MoCA score (14.6±3.4) compared to stable COPD (20.2±2.4) and controls (24.2±5.8). The differences between groups were more accentuated for the language abstraction and attention (p<0.001) and delayed recall and orientation (p<0.001) sub-topics. No significant variance of score was observed between groups regarding visuospatial and naming score (p = 0.095). The MoCA score was significantly correlated with forced expiratory volume (r = 0.28) and reverse correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = -0.57), fibrinogen (r = -0.58), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r = -0.55) and with the partial pressure of CO2 (r = -0.47).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to this study, COPD significantly decreases the cognitive status in advanced and acute stages of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandru F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Crişan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oancea
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Timar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fira-Mladinescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crişan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Voicu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tudorache
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein