Relationship between asthma and cognition: the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

• Published in: Allergy (Copenhagen) 2013-04, Vol.68 (4), p.545-548
• Main Authors: Caldera‐Alvarado, G., Khan, D. A., DeFina, L. F., Pieper, A., Brown, E. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Asthma; Asthma - complications; Asthma - diagnosis; Asthma - drug therapy; cognition; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - complications; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Corticoids; corticosteroid; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data processing; Demography; elderly; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Older people; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; spirometry; Subpopulations; Texas
• ISSN: 0105-4538; 1398-9995
• DOI: 10.1111/all.12125

Background Minimal data are available on the relationship between asthma and cognitive performance. In this report, we examine the relationship between asthma and cognitive performance in older adults, a subpopulation with elevated risk of cognitive impairment. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional, retrospective analysis of 1380 participants age ≥55 who completed preventive health examinations at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX. Cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief test for mild cognitive impairment. Data were analyzed in a multiple logistic regression using MoCA scores suggestive of cognitive impairment as the dependent variable. Results When controlling for demographic characteristics, self‐rated health status, inhaled corticosteroid use, and FEV1/FVC, asthma were associated with 78% increased risk of cognitive impairment (P = 0.02) as defined by MoCA score. Conclusions In the largest sample examined to date, we have identified a significant relationship between asthma and cognitive impairment in older people.