Nearly one in four people with the lung condition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is waiting a staggering five years to be diagnosed, new research has suggested, as latest NHS figures have shown waits across the board rising to another record.
The COPD figures from the lung charity Asthma + Lung UK found almost a quarter of people surveyed had waited more than five years for a diagnosis, while one in eight had waited for more than a decade.
Delays of this length can result in people with COPD, an incurable condition which causes severe breathlessness and affects around 1.4 million people in the UK, losing lung function, the charity has warned.
This can lead to extreme breathlessness and difficulties performing everyday tasks such as walking to the shops, housework, and socialising.
Late diagnosis also means people are living with a poorer quality of life, more likely not to be able to stay in work, and are much more likely to have life-threatening flare-ups of the disease.
The report, Delayed Diagnosis and Unequal Care: The reality for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the UK in 2022, was based on a survey of 6,500 people with COPD.
COPD and NHS waits
NHS waits hit another record, increasing the concern for OH
More than a third (34%) said they were unable to recognise the signs of COPD and around one in four (23%) said they were misdiagnosed as their doctor thought they had a chest infection or cough.
Other key problems included access to care, with one in four (26%) saying they could not get an appointment and a fifth (21%) saying they were unable to access diagnostic tests (including spirometry).
Only half (51%) who had been diagnosed in the last two years recalled receiving a spirometry test as part of their diagnosis, the study also found.
The COPD report has come as latest figures from NHS England have revealed yet another grim record in NHS waiting lists, with 7.2 million people in England alone now waiting to start routine treatment at the end of October.
This was up from the 7.1 million reported in September, itself a record, and with the figures now at their highest since records began in August 2007.
In A&E departments, just 68.9% of patients in England were seen within four hours in November, down from 69.3% in October and the worst performance on record.
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Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said of her charity’s report: “Diagnosis of COPD needs to be faster and more accurate and there needs to be greater awareness of the seriousness of lung conditions and the signs and symptoms to look out for.
“To achieve this, we are calling on the government to ensure the NHS is equipped to restart diagnostic tests for lung conditions, like spirometry. Those diagnosed with COPD need better, more joined-up care, and access to vital treatments,” she added.
