Health Awareness
Respiratory
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Online clinics and at-home treatments are supporting patients with COPD and asthma
Times of emergency often breed innovation and adaptation of new technologies. COVID-19 has put enormous strain on health services across the globe. Here in the UK, the NHS has had to make use of new technology and treatments to help patients with respiratory conditions stay away from hospitals and remain in the safety of their...
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Because lung cancer won’t wait
COVID-19 may dominate our headlines, our hospitals, our minds, but our priority remains the same – lung cancer and supporting the people who are living with it. They say, when we’re faced with adversity, we find out who we really are. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. During those...
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Can your income make your asthma worse?
COVID-19 has left deep scars on the poorest parts of our society. The high death rates in the most deprived areas of the country highlight the need for urgent action to address health inequalities[1]. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is not the only respiratory condition where your wealth makes a difference to your health. Asthma affects 5.4 million...
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Supporting NHS education with online training
The COVID-19 outbreak sadly brought the entire world to a standstill, leading to loss of lives and an unprecedented economic recession. Mechanical ventilators can be key to a patient’s recovery. The government has called upon established manufacturers to build ventilators to support the NHS demand during COVID-19. Ventilators have been, and will continue to be,...
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Technology has helped us to cope in times of crisis
I’ve heard many people say that we are lucky COVID-19 didn’t happen 10 years ago. And they are right; technology has been a cornerstone for how many of us have coped throughout this crisis. While my own GP practice in Portsmouth had already been quick to embrace the online healthcare revolution, the outbreak of COVID-19...
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COVID-19 and clean air
Clean Air Day 2020 has not gone ahead as planned. Due to COVID-19, it has been postponed to 8 October 2020. This coronavirus-induced pause on what should have been Clean Air Day 2020 provides a moment to reflect. What would make this a clean air day? Would we like this, and every day, to be...
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s Sponsored
One person dies every hour of pulmonary fibrosis
Imagine that every breath you take is an effort. This is what it’s like for around 70,000 people in the UK living with the devastating lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is a little-known condition that causes scarring or stiffening of the lungs, making it hard for oxygen to pass from the lungs to the...
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Air pollution: a public health emergency that urgently needs a public health response
Clean air is starting to dominate our conversations, from car emissions to cleaning products, yet there is little information to help the public, including vulnerable patients. Research, commissioned for Global Action Plan’s Clean Air Public Insights Tracker, showed that 94% of the UK population think that reducing air pollution should be a priority for the...
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A turning point for lung cancer
I was given a 50% chance of surviving five years. I am now lung cancer free. Mine is a happy story, an opportunity for cure. The same cannot be said for the majority of people diagnosed with lung cancer… Until now, that is. At the beginning of the year, NHS England announced the roll-out of...
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Indoors or outdoors, air quality is the health issue of our time
Poor air quality is the biggest public health issue of our time, exacerbating problems among vulnerable populations. Yet there are things we can all do to make indoor air cleaner. The average person will breathe around 250 million litres of air in their lifetime — although most of us don’t give a second thought to...
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Why a cough and breathlessness can’t wait
Respiratory disease is the focus of 20% of all general practice consultations, the second most common reason for hospital admission, and the cause of one in five deaths in the UK, but it commands far less attention than heart disease or cancer. Around 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a lung disease every...
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What you need to know to have the right inhaler for your needs
Every asthma patient must have access to the best treatment in the event of an asthma emergency. This means having the right inhaler for them — and that they know how to use it. There are typically three types of inhalers available for the estimated 5.4 million people in the UK living with asthma: pressurised...
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Protect kids’ health – campaign for cleaner air
Learning that high levels of air pollution stunts lungs, and may trigger asthma in children, can leave parents feeling powerless. But there are actions we can take to reduce our family’s exposure to toxic air, and persuade those in power to tackle the toxic air crisis. Tips on reducing children’s exposure to toxic air Keep...
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How indoor allergens are impacting quality of life
Up to 40% of the UK population is affected by respiratory allergies, including allergic rhinitis and asthma[1]. These allergic conditions are linked: around 80% of asthmatics also have allergic rhinitis, and those with allergic rhinitis are three times more likely to develop asthma1. Indoor allergy – the allergens in our homes Common allergens that trigger...
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Patients drive change to ensure involvement in healthcare systems
Patients have previously been seen but not heard. At the European Federation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and other Related Disorders (EU-IPFF), we would like to change this. Involving patients in the decision-making process of their own care pathway would appear to be logical and common-sense, but from experience, this is often not the case. Due...
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If you have asthma, this is putting you in danger
Air pollution could affect more than three million people with asthma in the UK and is a leading cause of life-threatening asthma attacks. Joe Farrington-Douglas, Head of Policy and External Affairs at Asthma UK explains the impact air pollution is having on people with asthma and why tougher measures are needed. Imagine being scared of...
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How to quit smoking: tips from the British Lung Foundation
It’s never too late to give up smoking no matter how long you’ve smoked for. But what’s the best way to quit? Rachael Hodges, senior policy officer at the British Lung Foundation, runs through her top tips for helping you quit. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your lung...
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Our campaign partners
Breathing Matters raises awareness and funds for research into interstitial lung diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis, and lung infection, including bronchiectasis and pneumonia. More info at: www.breathingmatters.co.uk
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Why we need to be more focussed on lung health
Changes are happening to prevent more people from developing lung disease and transform the care of people living with lung disease says Alison Cook, Chair of the Taskforce for Lung Health. Lung disease doesn’t make eye-catching healthcare headlines in the same way that, say, cancer or heart disease does. But it should because, incredibly, one...
