Obstructive lung disease linked with decline in memory and information processing

A new study, which will be presented today at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress, suggests that impaired cognitive functioning could be an important factor in OLD.

Previous research has found that people with OLD, including COPD, often experience global cognitive impairments, but this new study -- using the UK Biobank Resource -- focused on which domain-specific cognitive functions were affected in persons with OLD.

The researchers analysed 5,764 people with OLD and 37,275 people without this condition. All participants completed a number of cognitive tests to examine cognitive functioning.

The results of the study showed that people with OLD performed significantly worse than people without this condition in memory tests, pairs matching tests and a reaction time test.

The authors concluded that people with OLD are more likely to experience cognitive impairment, particularly in memory and information processing.