Minimal data are available on the relationship between asthma and cognitive performance. This retrospective analysis examined the relationship between asthma and cognitive performance in older adults and included 1380 participants aged 55 and older who completed preventive health examinations at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, USA. Cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief test for mild cognitive impairment.
Asthma were associated with 78% increased risk of cognitive impairment. The data were controlled for demographic characteristics, self-rated health status, inhaled corticosteroid use, and FEV1/FVC.
In the largest sample examined to date, the study authors we have identified a significant relationship between asthma and cognitive impairment in older people. Further studies are indicated to confirm these results and to determine if the optimization of the asthma management can improved cognition.
Source:
Caldera-Alvarado G, Khan DA, DeFina LF, Pieper A, Brown ES. Relationship between asthma and cognition: the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Allergy 2013; DOI: 10.1111/all.12125.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.12125/abstract
Image source: Hippocampus, from Wikipedia, public domain.