Health Awareness
Respiratory Health 2019
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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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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...
