Progressive Neuropsychologic Impairment and Hypoxemia: Relationship in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Publication Description
• In previous work we showed that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffered decrements in neuropsychologic functioning suggestive of organic mental disturbance. This study combined data from two multicenter clinical trials to explore the nature and possible determinants of such neuropsychologic change. Three groups of patients with COPD whose hypoxemia was mild (N = 86), moderate (N =155), or severe (N = 61) were compared with age- and education-matched nonpatients (N = 99). The rate of neuropsychologic deficit rose from 27% in mild hypoxemia to 61% in severe hypoxemia. Various neuropsychologic abilities declined at different rates, suggesting differential vulnerability of neuropsychologic functions to progress of COPD. Multivariate analyses revealed a consistent significant relationship between degree of hypoxemia and neuropsychologic impairment, but the amount of shared variance was small (7%). Increasing age and lower education were also associated with impairment.

Primary Author
Grant,Igor
Prigatano,George P.
Heaton,Robert K.
McSweeny,A. John
Wright,Elizabeth C.
Adams,Kenneth M.

Volume
44

Issue
11

Start Page
999

Other Pages
006

Publisher
American Medical Association

URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1987.01800230079013

PMID
3675139



Reference Type
Journal Article

Periodical Full
Archives of General Psychiatry

Publication Year
1987

Publication Date
Nov 1,

Place of Publication
United States

ISSN/ISBN
0003-990X

Document Object Index
10.1001/archpsyc.1987.01800230079013