Ireland wheezing at bottom of lung health league

Ireland is at the bottom of the European league table for lung health, a report revealed today.

More people die from respiratory diseases such as asthma and pneumonia in Ireland than in any other European Union country, according the European Respiratory Society (ERS).

The society called for greater investment in equipment and specialists and national education programmes on key lung diseases to tackle the problem in Europe.

The ERS’s European Lung White Book, which was launched today, showed that the death rate from respiratory diseases in Ireland was more than twice the EU average.

The ERS report also revealed the economic cost of respiratory diseases – in Europe it amounts to €102bn a year.

ERS president Prof Walter McNicholas said: “Respiratory diseases are the leading cause of death in Europe, and, indeed, worldwide, yet despite these statistics, these illnesses have a lower profile than many other disease areas such as heart disease.

“Although the highly prioritised diseases in government target areas such as heart disease and cancer are showing real progress, others such as respiratory disease are continuing to be ignored.

“Governments around the world must widen their vision to include lung disorders, which are responsible for more than nine million deaths worldwide each year.”