Preliminary study of assessing cognitive impairment in older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by using a cognitive functional assessment tool via a touchscreen personal computer

BACKGROUND: Unique cognitive impairments related to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) have been increasingly reported. Considering the dementia risk and medication management, older patients with COPD should be evaluated for cognitive impairment. This study aimed to examine whether specific cognitive impairments related to COPD could be detected by an assessment tool using a touchscreen personal computer (PC) in older patients with COPD. METHODS: This study included 28 older male patients with COPD and 30 healthy older male individuals. A touchscreen PC-based cognitive assessment application called CogEvo was used to assess and compare the cognitive function according to five domains: spatial cognition, orientation, working memory, executive function, and attention. RESULTS: Analysis of variance showed an interaction effect on the indices of cognitive function based on five domains between the two groups, indicating differences in the characteristics of cognitive function in such groups. Betweengroup comparisons as a subtest showed that attention, executive function, and working memory were significantly lower in the COPD group than in the healthy group. CONCLUSIONS: CogEvo can detect specific cognitive impairments associated with COPD, suggesting that it can be potentially used as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in older patients with COPD.