ONE IN SEVEN Irish people has an undiagnosed lung condition and Ireland’s lung health is one of the worst in Europe, a pair of reports has found.

Only Belgium, Moldova, Hungary and Kyrgyzstan have higher mortality rates from lung disease than Ireland, the European Respiratory Society study has found.

The report found a high prevalence of diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis as well as high hospital admission rates for COPD and respiratory infection and high death rates for interstitial lung disease, COPD and pneumonia.

Ireland also has the lowest number of adult and trainee respiratory physicians at 1.3 per 100,000 while the mean for Europe of 4.4 per 100,000.

In addition, recent research carried out by the Irish Lung Health Alliance adds further to this picture by showing that 1 in 7 people have an undiagnosed lung condition.

Ireland’s lung health leaves much room for improvement, said Dr Edward McKone, Respiratory Consultant and President of the Irish Thoracic Society.

“We tend to associate exercise with cardiac health, losing weight or preventing diabetes but exercise is also very important for the lungs whether you are healthy or have a lung condition. We would encourage the public to attend our information events to learn more about their lungs and the simple steps they can take to maintain lung health,” added Dr McKone.

The Irish Lung Health Alliance is holding a number of public information lectures on the issue. For more, see their website.

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