Drawing Skills Linked To Mortality In Patients With COPD

Main Category: COPD
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 15 Dec 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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New research suggests that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are unable to copy certain drawings involved in neuropsychological testing have an increased mortality rate. Italian researchers tracked 134 patients with stable COPD, age 68.7 - 8.5 years, for a median of 32 months. Patients underwent clinical testing, including spirometry and a 6-minute walk test, and neuropsychological testing, including a mental examination, verbal memory assessment, and simple and complex drawing tests. Of the 29 patients who died during the observation period, 58.6 percent had abnormal scores on complex drawing tests compared with 35.2 percent of survivors. Overall, abnormal score on the complex drawing test and low 6-minute walked distance were significantly associated with mortality. Researchers conclude that the complex drawing test can be used as a prognostic marker in COPD. This study appears in the December issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

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Newsbriefs from the journal Chest, December 2006

Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
American College of Chest Physicians

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