Million patients should be receiving lung treatment
Only 900,000 of the estimated 3.7 million people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), an umbrella term for conditions such as emphysema and bronchitis, have been diagnosed with the disease and are being treated.
Although there are drugs available, there was little evidence that they were effective in the early stages of the condition.
However, a new study published online by the Lancet medical journal, shows that the drugs can reduce decline in lung function, even before the disease has progressed to more advanced stages.
Researchers from the University of Leuven, Belgium, used inhaled tiotropium to treat 1,218 patients, with an average age of 64, over four years and gave another 1158 patients a placebo.
Patients given tiotropium were also found to be in better overall health while their risk of being admitted to hospital had fallen by more than a quarter.
“This study showed that the earlier COPD patients were offered treatment, the more effective it was in slowing the progression of their condition, reducing their amount of emergency hospital admissions and ultimately improving their quality of life,” said Dr Keith Prowse, vice president of the British Lung Foundation.
“COPD is a debilitating illness which affects over 3.7 million people in the UK yet only 900,000 people are currently diagnosed and undergoing treatment.
This research emphasises the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.”
