The improvement of cognitive functions in patients with bronchial asthma after therapy

The severity of asthma in older people is frequently underestimated because of underdiagnosis and undertreatment. There are a number of reasons for this. In elderly patients, chronic diseases can be related to declining cognitive function. This situation could influence diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of appropriate asthma therapy on cognitive function.

A total of 359 participants diagnosed with bronchial asthma, 219 women and 140 men with a mean age of 69 ± 4.03 years, were included in this study. Cognitive function was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at the beginning of this study and after 1 year. Patients were divided into three subgroups based on their initial MMSE scores dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and good cognition.

At the beginning of this study, 31.2% of patients presented uncontrolled asthma, 46.2% exhibited partly controlled asthma, and 25.1% had well-controlled asthma. A significant improvement in control over the patients' asthma was observed over the course of this study. After 1 year of treatment, the mean MMSE score significantly increased in initially demented patients, from 18.2 ± 3.1 (mean ± SD) to 21.9 ± 2.1 (p < .01); in subjects with MCI, from 25.4 ± 0.9 to 27.2 ± 1.2; and in patients with good cognition, from 27.4 ± 0.7 to 29.7 ± 0.4 (chi-square test, p < .01).

Proper control of asthma in patients with cognitive impairments can improve some cognitive functions.