COPD is the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions in the UK.

Approximately 900,000 people have been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the UK but it is estimated that the true number of people living with the disease is expected to be as high as 3.7 million.

One in eight people aged over 35 in the UK has COPD that has not been properly identified or diagnosed, and over 15% are only diagnosed when they present to hospital as an emergency.

COPD is the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions in the UK.

Winter can be a particularly worrisome time of year for people with the condition

• Breathlessness is the most prevalent symptom of COPD and significantly impacts on a patient’s quality of life.
• Symptoms of the condition are a major cause of hospital admissions, especially during the winter months, mainly attributed to the increase in respiratory viral infections.
• Research of patients with COPD and doctors shows that 80% of patients experience

breathlessness on a daily basis, while 70% do not mention it to their doctor even though it could be better managed.
• Breathlessness has a moderate to significant daily impact on the lives of the majority (70%) of patients with COPD but 92% of patients surveyed accept it as an inevitable part of their condition.
• The research showed that patients with COPD do not mention their breathlessness to their GP for reasons such as feeling embarrassed about raising it or do not want to trouble their doctor4

We’re joined by Dr Hamzah Baig is a Consultant Pharmaceutical Physician and Medical Doctor with membership to the Royal College of Physicians of London.