Talk show host Joe Duffy is encouraging people living with a potentially fatal lung condition that it is not too late to seek help from their healthcare professional. The broadcaster made the plea to coincide with the launch of new research to mark an awareness campaign on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD ), supported by Novartis and the Irish Thoracic Society.
COPD is a life-threatening and devastating disease that affects more than 440,000 people across Ireland. Indeed, COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world.
COPD is a term for a number of chronic lung disorders including bronchitis and emphysema. It is a progressive and disabling disease that makes it hard for sufferers to breathe due to tightening or obstruction of the airways in the lungs. For people living with COPD, less air flows in and out of their airways, causing shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
To learn more about COPD, its symptoms, and the awareness campaign, visit www.livingwithcopd.ie
