People of Cork Urged to Take the Save Your Breath COPD Challenge as Roadshow Visits City • Almost 200 people in Cork died from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in 2013 • Some people completely unaware that they have the disease • New Save Your Breath awareness campaign to mark World COPD Day on November 19 urges people to know the symptoms and to get tested Date of issue: Immediate Have you coughed several times a day for the past few months, with or without phlegm? Do you often feel breathless from physical work or moderate exercise? Have you been exposed to passive smoking, air pollution, fumes or dust over a long period, or are you a current or former smoker? Are you over 35 years of age and is there a history of lung conditions in your family? With almost 200 people in Cork city and county dying from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD in 20131, a new national awareness campaign, Save Your Breath, has been launched by COPD Support Ireland to encourage people to know the symptoms and to visit their doctor if they have concerns. The campaign sees a roadshow visit the The River Lee Hotel on the Western Road on Friday November 21 from 11am to 3pm, offering free COPD screening to people over 35 years who are experiencing symptoms of persistent coughing, breathlessness or frequent chest infections. Staff will also be on hand to provide quit smoking support, nutrition tips, and exercise, breathing and inhaler technique advice. The initiative coincides with World COPD Day on November 19, and is supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Menarini and Novartis. COPD includes conditions such as bronchitis and emphysema, and results in shortness of breath, tiredness and reduced exercise ability because the airways in the lungs are obstructed. Early diagnosis can help people avoid more difficult forms of the disease and thereby enjoy a much better quality of life. It is a serious disease and in Ireland deaths from respiratory disease are third only to deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer2. COPD is the major cause of respiratory deaths. Save Your Breath Bones O’Sullivan, Cork COPD Support Group, comments: COPD is a progressive illness and can be life-threatening. Depending on its severity, it can affect people in so many ways in their daily lives, and for some can mean significant difficulty with simple physical activities such as crossing a room, climbing stairs or carrying out household chores. This campaign is about encouraging people to, quite literally, save their breath, and take action now to protect their future health and quality of life. I would urge people 35 years old and over to visit our free roadshow in The River Lee Hotel on the Western Road on Friday November 21 from 11am to 3pm to be screened for COPD if they have possible symptoms and to ask our team any questions that they may have about the disease. Could You Have COPD? Professor Tim McDonnell, Consultant Respiratory Physician, adds: We know that there are people living in Cork with COPD who have no idea that they have the disease and are therefore not being treated for it. This campaign is about encouraging people to know the symptoms and to take the next step and visit their doctor to organise a very simple, quick and painless lung check, known as a spirometry test. Early treatment can make a big difference. Of course, for the most part, COPD is preventable. Smoking is the single biggest causative factor in developing the disease. The most effective thing that people can do to avoid COPD is to not smoke, or if they are already smoking, to stop with the help of one of the many smoking cessation programmes available. I would strongly encourage people to check out copd.ie/ for more information and to use this awareness campaign to make the change for a healthier and more fulfilling life. Take the Save Your Breath COPD Challenge If you answer yes to four or more of the following questions you should visit your doctor and ask to be tested for COPD. 1. Do you cough several times every day, several days of the week? 2. Have you been coughing like this for more than three months? 3. Do you cough up mucus (phlegm) most days? 4. Do you feel breathless from physical work or moderate exercise? 5. Are you a current or former smoker? 6. Do you work, or have you ever worked, in an environment where there is exposure to pollution, fumes, dust or smoke? 7. Is there a history of lung conditions in your family? 8. Are you over the age of 35? Finding COPD early gives the best chance to prevent further lung damage. For more information on the Save Your Breath COPD awareness campaign, visitcopd.ie/
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:16:57 +0000
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