COPD Support Ireland Roadshow to visit Limerick offering free spirometry breathing tests

COPD SUPPORT Ireland, is embarking on a nationwide COPD & Me Roadshow to spread the word about COPD and the roadshow will visit Limerick city later this month.

The roadshow marking World COPD Day will be held in the Crescent shopping centre on Tuesday November 19, between 9.30am and 11.30am.

Latest figures show that between 2020 and 2022, there were 1,145 hospital admissions of people from Limerick due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD1. In fact, it is estimated that there are 380,000 people living with COPD in Ireland, yet only 110,000 people are thought to have had a formal diagnosis.

The health initiative will see a team of COPD health professionals offering free spirometry testing. Spirometry is a simple and painless breathing test where a person breathes into a device called a spirometer, which measures the amount of air a person can blow out of their lungs in one second, and the total amount of air a person can blow out, to see if there is an obstruction to breathing air out of the lungs.

The test will be performed by a respiratory physiologist, with a specialist healthcare professional also on hand to provide health information and advise people on next steps.

COPD Support Ireland advises anyone with symptoms of breathlessness and ongoing cough, with or without phlegm, to ask their GP about having a spirometry test performed. GP practices in many places around the country now have direct access to HSE Spirometry Services testing in their local Integrated Care Hubs.

Consultant Respiratory Physician and Chair of COPD Support Ireland, Associate Professor Stanley Miller, explains COPD, its symptoms, and diagnosis, saying:

“COPD is an umbrella term that includes both emphysema, which is damage to the air sacs in the lungs, and chronic bronchitis, which is inflammation of the airways. This is where air moves into the lungs reasonably well, but there is difficulty or obstruction to the air moving out of the lungs efficiently, which causes people with COPD to feel breathless. The diagnosis of COPD is made by identifying the symptoms of shortness of breath and long-standing cough, with or without phlegm, along with a risk factor such as smoking, and then confirming the diagnosis with a breathing test called spirometry.

READ MORE: Limerick point to point marks 90th anniversary with guaranteed chance to win!

“While COPD is not curable, it is treatable. Specialist HSE respiratory teams in Integrated Care Hubs are helping thousands of people with COPD to be treated closer to home. By combining health professional management with self-management strategies, people with COPD can go a long way to living the life they wish to live.”

General Manager, COPD Support Ireland, Joan Johnston, is urging people to become more familiar with the symptoms of COPD, and to get checked out if they have concerns.

“We know that so many people have COPD in this country, yet the vast majority have no idea. This is possibly because they are putting symptoms down to getting older or because they are in the early stages of disease and symptoms are not yet obvious to them. However, we do know that early diagnosis means we can do more to improve quality of life. Too many people are suffering unnecessarily and dying prematurely from a disease that is preventable and treatable.

“That’s why World COPD Day is so important in shining a spotlight on this disease and highlighting what we can do to mind ourselves better if we have a breathing problem. If you have ongoing breathlessness and a cough, with or without phlegm, do get checked out by your GP and ask about a spirometry breathing test. If you receive, or have already had a diagnosis of COPD, I’d encourage you to join COPD Support Ireland. There is so much we can offer to support you.”

Anyone worried about COPD can call the COPD Advice Line on Freefone 1800 832 146 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) to receive a call back from a respiratory health professional who can answer questions and refer people to local supports.

A new booklet, COPD & Me, has also been published by COPD Support Ireland. An essential guide to living with COPD, the booklet is full of information, advice and tips, from diagnosis and treatment, to exercise and nutrition, to mental health and well-being. 

For full details of all roadshow dates and locations countrywide, or to download or order a copy of the COPD & Me booklet, visit www.copd.ie. 

The COPD & Me Roadshow is supported by GSK, Vitalograph, AstraZeneca & A Menarini.