A pneumology congress held in Albufeira last weekend revealed that in Portugal 800,000 people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but only 13% had been diagnosed through spirometry testing, which measures lung function.
Around 700 health professionals from across the country attended the three-day congress, which discussed subjects related to the respiratory system and the treatment of lung diseases.
The audience heard that COPD is an under-diagnosed, life-threatening illness, with many sufferers only seeing a doctor when they have lost almost 50% of their lung capacity.
For Carlos Robalo Cordeiro, president of the Portuguese Pneumology Society (SPP), “it is fundamental to promote early diagnosis of the disease in order to slow down the decline in the patient’s lung capacity. A recent study conducted by the society showed that 86% of COPD patients who had been diagnosed through spirometry testing hadn’t yet been identified as sufferers of the disease.”
The SPP vice-president, Cristina Bárbara, believes the low number of diagnoses reached through spirometry testing can be explained by the fact that only recently has COPD been at the forefront of doctors’ attention as the impact of the illness on the health system was still unknown. She believes access to spirometry testing needs to be promoted at primary healthcare level. “It is impossible to reach a COPD diagnosis by mere observation,” said Cristina Bárbara.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the central theme at this year’s congress due to its high prevalence in society, with tobacco being pointed as the main cause of the disease. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study by the World Health Organisation, it will be the fifth most incapacitating illness in 2030.
Respiratory illnesses are the third leading cause of death in Portugal, after cardiovascular disease and cancer.
