ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: COPD has multiple extrapulmonary manifestations and the latest studies have focused on cognitive dysfunction effects on sleep quality. The purpose of this study is to assess if there is a relationship between sleep quality and cognitive decline in COPD patients with severe airflow limitation. METHODS: We performed an observational study to determine if there is a link between cognitive function and sleep quality. The included patients were divided into two groups: a group with COPD patients and control group. We evaluated lung volumes, cognitive function, sleep quality and disease impact on the quality of life. RESULTS: Most of the COPD patients presented mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (95.7%), compared with only 24.1% in the control group (Pearson chi-square χ2 (1) = 42.560, p < 0.001). We observed that all the COPD patients were poor sleepers, while only 13.8% of the control patients presented a poor sleep (Pearson chi-square χ2 (1) = 60.379, p < 0.001). We observed that poor sleep was significantly associated with MCI (OR = 9.200; 95% CI = 3.656-23.153; p < 0.001). At the same time, when considering only the COPD patients with moderate disease impact, poor sleep was also a risk factor for MCI (OR = 1.210; 95% CI = 1.016-1.440; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: COPD patients with severe airflow limitation report a high prevalence of poor sleep quality and cognitive function. We observed a significant association between cognitive function and sleep quality.
