Record number living with lung disease

MORE people are living with the severe lung disease COPD in Wales than ever before, a new report has revealed.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found that 82,696 patients have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes major breathing problems.

While the progressive condition is common and mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke, there are thought to be thousands of people who do not realise they have it.

The report by the RCP discovered almost a third (30.5%) of people with COPD in Wales are living with anxiety and 30.1% with depression.

Findings also show that just half (54.3%) of patients diagnosed within the past two years had a record of any spirometry test with a result consistent of COPD.

Spirometry tests measures the total amount of air you can breathe out from your lungs and how fast you can blow it out.

They can help tell if your breathing is obstructed by narrowed or inflamed airways.

The results are useful in diagnosing lung conditions such as COPD.

Joseph Carter, head of British Lung Foundation (BLF) Wales, said: “This is why we would like all health boards to invest more in diagnostic equipment – such as spirometry. The tests only take 10 minutes and the results can be really useful in diagnosing people with lung conditions such as COPD.”