Can’t afford to breathe sigh of relief
Middle-aged and elderly Australians have an “overly-optimistic” view of the health of their lungs, Australian Lung Foundation’s Professor, Christine Jenkins, says. New research has found many people are ignoring the key warning signs of lung problems, with more than a third of Australians having at least one warning sign of a lung problem.
Middle-aged and elderly Australians have an “overly-optimistic” view of the health of their lungs, Australian Lung Foundation’s Professor, Christine Jenkins, says.
New research has found many people are ignoring the key warning signs of lung problems, with more than a third of Australians having at least one warning sign of a lung problem.
While the vast majority of middle-aged and elderly people rate their lungs as being in a “good state” or “better”, Ms Jenkins tells the ABC one in three people in older age groups have symptoms which indicate they do not have “normal lung function”.
As a result of the recent findings, the Australian Lung Foundation warns people that shortness of breath should not be mistaken as a sign of “getting old or unfit”.
“They seem to think lung disease comes on gradually,” Professor Jenkins says.
“Unfortunately, it often causes symptoms when over 50% of lung function has been lost. So, you can’t afford to be laid back about symptoms of breathlessness and lung disease,” she adds.
According to Professor Jenkins, if you have a “productive cough”, recurrent chest infection or breathlessness, these symptoms may suggest you could have a problem with your lungs.
“Lung disease doesn’t discriminate – it affects men and women, smokers and people who have never smoked, the old and young,” she adds.
The Lung Foundation is now calling on Australians to ‘Show Us Your Lungs!’ in a campaign which hopes to raise the importance of paying more attention to lung health.
