Omagh woman’s plea as extent of lung deaths revealed

A WOMAN from Omagh living with COPD, a long term lung condition, has said there needs to be more investment into education to tackle the significant respiratory death rate in the North.

New analysis from Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland, has found that deaths from lung conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are 11 per-cent higher in the North than in the Republic.

The North also has one of the worst death rates in Western Europe for lung conditions with double the rate of Sweden, Italy and Austria and more than triple the rate of Finland.

The charity’s analysis has revealed that over a seven year period nearly 17,000 people have died from lung conditions such as asthma attacks, COPD exacerbations and pneumonia.

Fionna Henry has been living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for years. She said, “With any illness you have good days and bad days; some days are very debilitating and some days are good. I’ve learnt to adapt and I know what I can do and what I can’t do, I know my limitations and I must work to my limitations.”

Fionna believes that there should be more investment into educating the public, not solely young people in schools, but adults too.

She said, “I think education is needed so that people are aware of the different types of lung conditions and are also aware of the symptoms.

“The thing about a lung condition is that like a lot of conditions it is invisible and sometimes not easily detected, and there are a lot of people that are undiagnosed and maybe don’t realise that it could potentially be COPD or something else.”

Asthma + Lung UK launched its new strategy on Monday, ‘Fighting For Breath,’ calling for lung conditions to be treated as seriously as other major illnesses including heart disease and cancer.

Respiratory conditions make up one of the top three killers in the North, with one in five people diagnosed with a lung condition at some point in their lives.

Lung disease costs over £250 million in this region, making it the fourth most costly disease after mental health, musculoskeletal conditions and heart disease.

Despite this, the charity said that NHS care is currently failing many people with lung conditions, with the majority of people with asthma and COPD in the UK not receiving basic care from their GP.

The charity said that another likely contributor to high death rates is air pollution which is linked to 800 premature deaths each year in the North.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK in Northern Ireland said, “We need to act now to transform respiratory care and save lives. We need all parties to support a Lung Health strategy in the Assembly election and take the radical action that we desperately need.”

Mr Carter concluded by saying, “We need the next Executive to prevent lung conditions in the first place by investing in smoking cessation and developing a new Clean Air strategy.”

By Rebecca McGirr