Project 462221

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased work of breathing and this extra effort can make them breathless. Breathlessness is rated as moderate to severe in people with stable COPD and is perceived as life threatening and debilitating. It is sensed by the brain and can dominate brain processing and thus limit multi-tasking. Breathlessness can be greatly increased when hospitalized for worsening of COPD. Although we expect this brain processing to be worse when COPD patients are admitted to hospital with a respiratory exacerbation, it may persist after discharge home and thus limit essential daily activities. Breathlessness interfering with cognition may contribute to hospital readmissions. The overall research goal is to investigate how breathlessness limits cognition while people with COPD are in hospital due to an acute exacerbation. Secondly, we will determine how breathlessness and cognition affect doing two things at once, and how these attributes increase falls risk, limit daily activities, decrease quality of life, and increase hospital readmissions. Patients with COPD will be tested while in hospital during an acute exacerbation and retested 3 and 6 months after discharge home. Their measures will be compared to people with stable COPD who were not hospitalized. Evaluation of how breathlessness affects cognition and physical function in COPD patients at the time of hospital discharge and post discharge has never been studied. Often times the inability to perform daily activities is attributed to loss of physical function rather than limited cognition. This study will evaluate how breathlessness induces a cognitive load that in turn can limit physical activities. A better understanding of the interaction between cognitive and physical function will better inform the need for home care resources and allow development of novel rehabilitation strategies, which will improve daily function and quality of life.