Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul-Sep;108(3):368504251347114.
doi: 10.1177/00368504251347114. Epub 2025 Jul 21.

The use of the MoCA in cognitive impairment for older patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease: A preliminary study

Alessia Verduri  1   2 , Martin O'Neill  3 , Federica Ghinassi  1 , Federico Guidotti  1 , Maria Serena Simeone  1 , Valentina Ruggieri  1 , Enrico Clini  1 , Jonathan Hewitt  2
Affiliations

The use of the MoCA in cognitive impairment for older patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease: A preliminary study

Alessia Verduri et al. Sci Prog. 2025 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

BackgroundCognitive Impairment (CI) represents an important extra-pulmonary feature of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), in which its prevalence remains under-recognised. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a validated screening test for detecting CI.ObjectivesThe use of the MoCA in clinically stable COPD in routine practice. Secondary aim: CI prevalence in COPD.DesignFeasibility study.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative data were collected in 30 COPD patients, aged ≥65 years, at the Outpatient Department in Modena (Italy).ResultsThe MoCA administration was on average 11 min. Patient feedback was positive. The COPD participants (mean age 75 years) viewed the test favourably and felt that understanding more about cognitive function would help improve their care. The median MoCA score was 23 with 10% of patients had moderate CI. The prevalence of CI was 84%.ConclusionThe MoCA is not time-consuming and should be incorporated in daily routine to identify CI in COPD, in which the prevalence of mild CI remains high. Results warrant further studies in larger populations to confirm feasibility in clinical practice.

Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); cognitive Impairment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Global Strategy for Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD. Global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD): 2021 report. https://goldcopd.org/ Accessed: 5th January 2024.
    1. Putcha N, Drummond MB, Wise RA, et al. Comorbidities and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: prevalence, influence on outcomes, and management. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2015; 36: 575–591. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Divo M, Cote C, de Torres JP, et al. Comorbidities and risk of mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2012; 186: 155–161. - PubMed
    1. Murman DL. The impact of age on cognition. Semin Hear 2015; 36: 111–121. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yohannes AM, Chen W, Moga AM, et al. Cognitive impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2017; 18: 451.e1–451.e11. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources