Lung disease kills 1 in 20
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is caused by damage to the lungs over many years, usually from smoking.
COPD includes a few lung diseases but the most common are chronic bronchitis and emphysema and many people have both.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, increased mucus and coughing — people with COPD say it feels like they are breathing through a straw.
More than 110,000 people have COPD in Ireland but the exact figure is unknown as it continues to be underestimated — it accounts for one in 20 deaths in Ireland.
Research published by Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer Healthcare Ireland found that only 5% of people fully understand what COPD is.
Smoking is the predominant cause of COPD, accounting for 80%-90% of the risk of developing the condition. The survey of more than 1,000 adults found that almost a quarter of those surveyed smoked.
Respiratory consultant, Dr John Faul, said he would discourage anyone from smoking as it directly caused COPD. “More needs to be done to stop the spread of this often overlooked disease in Ireland,” he said.
The research was published in advance of World COPD Day 2008, which takes place tomorrow.
Meanwhile, another study found that more awareness of the dangers of blood clots was needed, with people wrongly citing obesity and smoking as the biggest risk factors. While smoking moderately increases the risk of a clot and obesity increases the risk three-fold, having surgery results in a 10-fold increase — by far the biggest risk factor.
The British-led research was released at the launch of a new drug — Xarelto — which reduces the risk of a clot by 70%.
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Mr Gary O’Toole, welcomed the new drug licensed for the prevention of blood clots in adult patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery.
The revolutionary oral drug produced by Bayer is taken once a day and does not require routine monitoring.
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