Revista de la Facultad de Medicina · Apr 3, 2026
Prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study in Bogotá, Colombia
By Villadiego-Cortina A, Pinto-Martínez N, Becerra N
Introduction: Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic disease, patients with this condition may present cognitive impairment. In Colombia, there are no studies on the prevalence of cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in this population. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of MCI in patients with severe or very severe COPD treated at a primary care center in Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted on 139 patients with severe or very severe COPD treated at a primary care center in Bogotá between May 2019 and March 2020. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was administered, along with an ad hoc questionnaire covering sociodemographic variables. Information on FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio, PaO2, and the degree of hypoxemia was also obtained from medical records. Two cutoff points for MCI were considered: <26 and <21. The latter cutoff was utilized because it has been specifically recommended for the Colombian older adult population. The association between MCI according to each cutoff point, sex, and educational level was explored using the chi-square test of independence with calculation of crude Odds Ratios. Results: The mean age of the patients was 72.07 years, 51.80% were women, 51.79% had a low socioeconomic level, 79.14% had basic primary education, and 54.68% had severe hypoxemia. Regarding the MoCA score, 49.64% of participants scored <26 and 17.27% scored <21. The most compromised cognitive domains were delayed recall and visuospatial/executive ability, as 54.68% and 38.13% of participants obtained ≤2 points, respectively. Having only primary education was significantly associated with a higher risk of MCI, especially at the <21 cutoff point (OR: 7.33, 95%CI: 1.08-315.22, p=0.02). Conclusion: Nearly half of the evaluated patients with COPD presented MCI when using the cutoff point recommended by the MoCA instrument (<26). These findings support the need to include systematic cognitive evaluation in the comprehensive management of this population, using sensitive instruments such as the MoCA. Finally, having a low educational level (primary education only) increased the probability of MCI.