Lung disease: The Irish Thoracic Society is calling on GPs to make tests to check for early signs of lung disease more widely available to coincide with the ban on smoking in the workplace.
Spirometry testing can quickly diagnose a condition suffered by many smokers, Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD). The classic symptoms are persistent cough, excess mucus production, wheezing and shortness of breath after mild exertion. Most sufferers are aged over 60 but many people as young as 40 have a mild form of the disease.
A campaign run by the thoracic society on Ash Wednesday urged people to have their lungs tested using spirometry. It is a simple test to assess lung function and can be compared to a blood pressure test. There has been a large response to the campaign with increased requests to GPs and respiratory units for spirometry testing. The society hopes to raise awareness and to encourage testing to be more widely available.