Respiratory Medicine
Volume 104, Issue 1 , Pages 52-60, January 2010

Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on attention functions

  • M. Klein

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pulmology, Krankenhaus Hietzing, 1130 Wien, Austria
    • Karl Landsteiner Institute of Clinical and Experimental Pneumology, Wien, Austria
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Pädagogischer Fachdienst, Assista Soziale Dienste GmbH, Hueb 10, 4674 Altenhof, Austria. Tel.: +43 664 80631638; fax: +43 7735 6631 120.
    • ,
  • S. Gauggel

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Medical Psychology, University Hospital of the RWTH, D-52074 Aachen, Germany
    • ,
  • G. Sachs

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Universität, 1090 Wien, Austria
    • ,
  • W. Pohl

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pulmology, Krankenhaus Hietzing, 1130 Wien, Austria
    • Karl Landsteiner Institute of Clinical and Experimental Pneumology, Wien, Austria

Received 2 April 2009; accepted 14 August 2009. published online 14 September 2009.

Summary 

The present study investigates the influence of COPD on attention functions, learning, and logical thinking.

Therefore, 60 COPD patients and 60 healthy controls were recruited into a cross-sectional study and underwent extensive neuropsychological testing. The Attention Network Test was used for assessment of tonic and phasic alertness, orienting, and executive attention. Logical thinking and learning were determined with the Standard Progressive Matrices and the Verbal and Nonverbal Learning Test, respectively. Significant group differences were found in phasic alertness (p=0.001) and orienting (p=0.01) but not in executive attention. In addition overall reaction time was significantly slower in the COPD group (p=0.001). Further group differences were found in verbal (p<0.001) and visual learning (p<0.001) and logical thinking (p<0.001). Regression analysis revealed significant correlations for age (p=0.024) and blood carbon dioxide levels (p=0.043) in reaction time, a correlation for age and orienting (p=0.019) and finally for age (p=0.011) as well as for blood carbon dioxide values (p=0.048) and performance in logical thinking.

Results are indicating a global impairment in cognitive functions of COPD patients which is negatively influenced by accelerated aging and increasing with disease severity.

Keywords: Attention, Memory, Logical thinking, Attention Network Test, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cognitive impairment

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PII: S0954-6111(09)00275-3

doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2009.08.008

Respiratory Medicine
Volume 104, Issue 1 , Pages 52-60, January 2010

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