People with lung conditions like COPD and asthma are often breathless. Damage to airways and lung tissue means that the lungs fail to empty properly, a process called gas-trapping. Because their airways have narrowed and they have lost elastic recoil in their lungs, it is more difficult to exhale. They may start to breathe in […]
Lung disease affects millions of people in the UK every year, but it doesn’t just cost individuals and the families in terms of loss of health and quality of life. Respiratory health, which lags behind other health issues in terms of research, funding and patient outcomes, is also taking a huge financial toll on our health service, businesses, […]
Lung disease is a major killer in the UK and it’s crucial to get early diagnosis and treatment. Sadly, too many people ignore signs like unusual breathlessness and chronic coughing and doctors may take it for granted too. I hold my hands up. I was blasé when I felt uncharacteristically breathless climbing steps last year […]
Singing carols at Christmas is a pleasure enjoyed by many, but singing of all kinds can be a health boon too – especially when it comes to lung disease. As well as improving morale and ‘feel good factor’ singing regularly as part of an organised group can have a range of positive effects brought about […]
Every five minutes in the UK, one person dies from lung disease, a statistic that underlines the massive impact of conditions such as COPD, chronic asthma and lung cancer. Yet, despite the fact that lung disease is one of the three big killers in the UK, alongside cancer and cardiovascular disease, it comes a very […]
Many people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are diagnosed at a late stage of the condition where it has already caused significant damage to the lungs. COPD is an umbrella term which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema and the single largest cause is smoking. There are many reasons why diagnosis is late, including the fact […]
Take one city, 233,900 inhabitants, 3000 trained healthcare professionals and study facilitators and 235 million rows of data, and you have a ‘research ready city’. Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, recently became the first place in the world to host a real-world study of what was, at the time, a pre-licence medicine for lung […]
When a patient comes to see me complaining of unexplained breathlessness, different possibilities immediately go through my mind. The first thing to rule out is lung disease, like asthma, COPD or lung cancer. Early lung cancer symptoms are often mild and can be mistaken for bronchitis or ‘smokers cough’ but later stage disease often presents […]
I would like to thank Public Health England and the British Lung Foundation, in helping to raise awareness about the symptoms of lung disease. I have been in post for two and a half years and our collaborative efforts have already made a huge difference. What is clear is that early diagnosis is key to a […]
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease which affects one in 1000 adults causing permanent enlargement of the airways which leads to an excessive build up of mucus. Patients cough to expel the mucus. ‘Coughs associated with this condition are usually worse in the morning as people clear their chest,’ explains Dr Richard Russell, honorary medical […]