Associations of Upper-Extremity Exercise Capacity and Grip Strength With Cognitive Domains in Patients With COPD

• Published in: Respiratory care
• Main Authors: Dag, Bedriye, Naz, İlknur, Felekoglu, Elvan, Emuk, Yusuf, Kopruluoglu, Melissa, Sahin, Hulya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2024
• Subjects: cognitive function; muscle strength; exercise capacity; upper extremity; COPD
• ISSN: 1943-3654
• DOI: 10.4187/respcare.11610

Cognitive impairment (CI), which has been reported in COPD, has been related to physical performance. However, the association between CI and upper-extremity functions is unknown. We aimed to compare upper-extremity exercise capacity and grip strength between subjects with COPD with and without CI and to determine the relationship of upper-extremity functions with specific cognitive domains. In this cross-sectional study, 76 subjects with COPD (mean age 66.8 ± 7.5 y, FEV % 47.12 ± 14.10) were classified as with and without CI according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Clinical characteristics, upper-extremity exercise capacity (6-min pegboard ring test [6PBRT]), grip strength (hand dynamometer), dyspnea severity (Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale), disease-specific health status (COPD Assessment Test), and disease-specific quality of life (St George Respiratory Questionnaire) were compared between groups, and the relationship of upper-extremity functions with cognitive subdomains was analyzed by multivariate regression analysis. The number of 6PBRT rings ( = .01) and the grip strength ( = .033) were lower in subjects with CI. Subjects with CI had lower FEV % ( = .038), arterial oxygenation ( = .002), exercise habits ( = .033), health status ( = .01), quality of life ( = .042); and higher dyspnea ( < .001), smoking consumption ( = .032), emergency admission ( = .02), and hospitalization ( = .042). The adjusted model showed that executive functions and attention were related to upper-extremity capacity ( = 14.4 and = 10.2, respectively) and hand-grip strength ( = 1.85 and = 1.49, respectively). These findings suggest that upper-extremity functions might be decreased especially concerning executive functions and attention in subjects with COPD with CI.