In a study done according to American Thoracic Society protocols, researchers at Celal Bayar University Hospital in Turkey used standardized tests to measure the decline in cognitive function in patients who were diagnosed with COPD, but had not undergone recent acute episodes or were on medication which was known to affect the thought processes and memory. While this study was done overseas, it appears from reading the report of the study that there is a definite link between the Blood gas analysis (PaO2, PaCO2, SaO2, pH, HCO3) and pulmonary function tests, and cognitive performance on the SMST(short mental status test) developed by Kökmen et al.
The study showed that even in the early stages of COPD a positive correlation exists between Vital Capacity on a PFS and cognitive functioning on the SMST. The study, conducted over an 18 month period using a sample of 32 patients with stabilized COPD and a control group of 27 healthy subjects. Of course, further testing must be done on a larger sample population, but the preliminary results of this limited study seem to indicate that COPD does affect thinking. A larger study reported in CHEST, a publication of the American College of Chest Physicians using a sample of 98 patients reported similar results in many areas, however also concluded that more extensive studies were necessary.
What do these studies mean for the person with COPD. They may explain the decline in mental abilities that are reported in many patients, and that knowledge may result in the development of coping skills to compensate for these deficits. The studies may also lead to a treatment which could slow the cognitive decline that some patients exhibit. For the families of COPD patients, it could offer an explanation for the declines which they have observed in their family members. If Vital Capacity (VC) can be increased through therapy programs, medications or other means, then these declines might even be reversed. While these studies do not offer a cure for these difficulties, they do provide the knowledge base that all treatment plans must be based on. Until these studies were done, no conclusive proof of what was actually happening and why existed. Now, armed with this understanding, the search for solutions can proceed.
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