Should 'C' in COPD stand for 'cognition'?

摘要

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 13 million adults in the USA [1], an underestimate by most accounts. It is the third leading cause of death in the USA, claiming 125,000 lives in 2007 alone [2]. Initially thought to be primarily a disorder of the lungs, COPD has now been increasingly characterized as a multi-component syndrome with psychological, physical and social implications. Based on the study by Li et al. [3] published in this issue of Respiration and on others [4-7], cognitive dysfunction could now be added to the list of impairments attributed to COPD.