Functional capacity and cognitive performance of adults from Argentina in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

Abstract

Functional capacity is decreased in people with Cardiovascular Diseases and Chronic Respiratory Diseases. These diseases have also been associated with cognitive dysfunction. The study examines the efficacy of a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program in the recovery of functional capacity and analyzes whether subjects with cardiopulmonary diseases suffer from cognitive dysfunction. Participated 50 adults with medium-high education who completed a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program of between 3 and 6 months based on physical education, nutritional education, promotion of healthy habits and medication management. Functional capacity was evaluated with the Duke index at the beginning and end of the program. Memory and language tests were also administered, for the only time, at the beginning of the program, comparing the values obtained with Argentine normative studies. The data was analyzed with the Wilcoxon test, bivariate correlations, and linear regression. Functional capacity increased significantly at the end of the program. In any case, the post-program Duke value suggests that the functional capacity of the patients continues to be affected. On the other hand, a memory test explained 10,8% of the variance in the Duke index, and there are no findings of cognitive dysfunction. The functional capacity of cardiopulmonary patients improved with the rehabilitation program, although this improvement is clinically insufficient. Better memory performance predicted greater functional capacity, which is why it is suggested to add cognitive stimulation workshops to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs. This sample with cardiopulmonary disease does not present cognitive dysfunction, probably due to its high cognitive reserve.