%0 Journal Article
%T Driving-Related Neuropsychological Performance in Stable COPD Patients
%A Foteini Karakontaki
%A Sofia-Antiopi Gennimata
%A Anastasios F. Palamidas
%A Theocharis Anagnostakos
%A Epaminondas N. Kosmas
%A Anastasios Stalikas
%A Charalambos Papageorgiou
%A Nikolaos G. Koulouris
%J Pulmonary Medicine
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/297371
%X Background. Cognitive deterioration may impair COPD patient¡¯s ability to perform tasks like driving vehicles. We investigated: (a) whether subclinical neuropsychological deficits occur in stable COPD patients with mild hypoxemia (PaO2 > 55£¿mmHg), and (b) whether these deficits affect their driving performance. Methods. We recruited 35 stable COPD patients and 10 normal subjects matched for age, IQ, and level of education. All subjects underwent an attention/alertness battery of tests for assessing driving performance based on the Vienna Test System. Pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gases, and dyspnea severity were also recorded. Results. COPD patients performed significantly worse than normal subjects on tests suitable for evaluating driving ability. Therefore, many (22/35) COPD patients were classified as having inadequate driving ability (failure at least in one of the tests), whereas most (8/10) healthy individuals were classified as safe drivers ( ). PaO2 and FEV1 were correlated with almost all neuropsychological tests. Conclusions. COPD patients should be warned of the potential danger and risk they face when they drive any kind of vehicle, even when they do not exhibit overt symptoms related to driving inability. This is due to the fact that stable COPD patients may manifest impaired information processing operations. 1. Introduction It is increasingly recognized that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multicomponent disease, but relatively little attention has been paid to its impact on neuropsychological function. Several studies have identified neuropsychological deficits in COPD patients [1¨C3]. The extent of this dysfunction appears to be related to the level of hypoxemia [4¨C8]. Subclinical cognitive deficits can even be detected in COPD patients with mild hypoxemia ( £¿mm£¿Hg) [9, 10]. Neuropsychological tests aim to provide standardized and objective measurements is the function of specific cognitive domains. The tasks, performed as part of the neuropsychological testing, often closely resemble mental challenges encountered in everyday life. One of the commonest mental challenges in everyday life is driving performance. The latter is a complex task highly dependent on the cognitive function, involving perceptual, motor, and decision making skills. Therefore, our hypothesis was that driving ability may be impaired even in stable COPD patients with mild hypoxemia. Road testing per se is the gold standard for assessing driving ability [11], but it is time consuming, expensive, and potentially hazardous. Simulators, which
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/pm/2013/297371/