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Original Articles

Compromised Arterial Oxygen Saturation in Elderly Asthma Sufferers Results in Selective Cognitive Impairment

, , , &
Pages 139-150 | Received 16 Sep 2003, Accepted 12 Jan 2004, Published online: 16 Feb 2007
 

Abstract

Forty elderly patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) were compared to a comparison group of forty age-matched healthy volunteers on a range of measures of cognitive performance, and levels of arterial haemoglobin oxygen saturation recorded. Members of the patient group were found to have significantly lower oxygen saturation compared to the comparison group, and performed significantly poorer on tests of delayed word recall and serial subtractions, but not on other tasks. Correlational analysis between participants’ oxygen saturation levels and test scores across the whole sample indicated significant positive relationships existed for the digit symbol substitution and serial subtractions tasks. The results are discussed in terms of cerebral oxygen delivery, glucose metabolism, age related cognitive decline, and relative task demands.

This study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, UK.

Notes

This study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, UK.

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