Breathe Easy Norwich to raise awareness of lung disease on World COPD Day

A local British Lung Foundation (BLF) support group, Breathe Easy Norwich, will be holding an awareness event at The Forum in Norwich between 9.30am and 4pm on Wednesday 16th November. The event coincides with this year’s World COPD Day. The group hope to draw attention to the lung disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its symptoms.

COPD is the name used to describe a number of conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. There are 115,000 people diagnosed with COPD each year – equivalent to a new diagnosis every five minutes.

To mark the day, the BLF is raising awareness of the ‘missing millions’ – the number of people who have COPD, but haven’t been diagnosed.

The BLF is encouraging anyone who gets out of breath doing everyday tasks, such as walking up stairs, to take their lung health seriously. The charity has set up a simple breath test on its website (www.blf.org.uk/breathtest) and wants people to take the test, seeking guidance from their GP if advised.

Paula Browne, Respiratory Nurse Specialist at NNUH and member of Breathe Easy Norwich said:
“With so many people estimated to be living with undiagnosed COPD, we hope as many local people as possible will come along to our event on World COPD Day to learn more about the disease, either for themselves or someone they care about.”

“COPD can have a severe impact on your quality of life. However, at Breathe Easy Norwich, we know from experience that there are ways of managing the condition in order to live a full and active life.”

Mike McKevitt, Head of Patient Services at the British Lung Foundation, said:
“COPD sadly takes the lives of nearly 30,000 people in the UK every year, yet many people haven’t even heard of it and millions are living with the disease without knowing it. By working with our wonderful Breathe Easy groups all around the country, we hope to catch these missing millions, potentially saving lives in the process.”

Breathe Easy Norwich, meets the first Tuesday of the month in The Function Room, St Faiths Centre, Horsham St Faiths, between 2pm and 4pm. For more information about the group, contact Paula Browne on 01603 289779.